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Bev Wines Review – Canned Wine Best For Sipping Outside

Canned wines are starting to take the world by storm, and one female-led, California producer, Bev, is leaning into this one hard with numerous varieties available for direct shipping nationwide (included in every order).

We were contacted by Bev to see if we wanted to try out their wines for a review, and of course, had to say yes.

As it turns out, these were the first canned wines we've ever had, and they most certainly will not be the last.

Note: We received these wines complimentary for this review. All opinions are our own. Bev Wines also has provided 20% off one-time orders for our readers with the discount code THEGRAPEPURSUIT as well. Click here to check out their inventory!

Our first 100% varietal Picpoul comes not from the more well-known regions of Europe but rather the Columbia Valley of Oregon from Flat Brim Wines.

This bottle is rather aptly named Not Basic as it is an orange wine made with skin contact for two weeks and foot trodden regularly and is something you don't see all too often. (So you can see why the Not Basic name works.)

While we noted some Brettanomyces and possibly reduction on the nose that took away from this one a bit for our liking, we have to say it was rather interesting all the same!

When we travel, we always like to visit liquor stores and privately operated wine shops to see what kind of unique bottles we can find. Part of this is simply that we love wine, but also because Pennsylvania has a monopoly on liquor sales and the options you can find outside of special orders are inherently limited.

So, naturally, we had to pop around to some wine stores in Boston when visiting the city.

As soon as we walked into The Urban Grape near Copley Square, we knew we were in the right place. This one is different than most stores!

Shenandoah Valley has been making a name for itself as a prominent AVA for Virginia grapes, and during my travels around northern Virginia (exploring places like Skyline Drive and Shenandoah Caverns), I was fortunate enough to visit several wineries and vineyards near Shenandoah National Park.

If you find yourself nearby and are in the mood for a glass of wine, a flight or simply want to have a great view while picking up some bottles to go you'll do well to check out the following wineries in Shenandoah Valley!

Note: The wineries featured in this guide are geographically in what we'd consider northern Virginia, but not the Northern Virginia AVA (a separate wine region to the east). All of the wineries below are featured in Shenandoah Valley AVA but we hope to add more spots from nearby AVAs like Northern Virginia and Monticello in the future as they are all within close proximity!

During my time exploring northern Virginia wineries, I found pretty quickly that I had an affinity for the white wines of the region. This was especially true at Shenandoah Vineyards where I found that I absolutely adored their base white blend for being a wonderful off-dry wine.

This white blend includes 51% of Seyval Blanc, 21% Traminette, 11% Chardonnay, 9% Vidal, and 8% Cayuga and certainly packed a punch with a nice hit of tropical flavors along with some minerality and salinity on the nose for good measure.

As it turns out, the bottle I bought at the winery lasted all of about three days before we opened it up at home.

Bloomer Creek is one of our favorite Finger Lakes wineries and part of the reason for this, beyond their wine simply being delicious, is that they do production techniques and blends that you don't normally expect to find in the region.

The Vin d'Ete 2018 was on the more traditional side of things and is 95% Merlot and 5% Gamay. This one produced a wonderful aroma and flavor profile but also came packed with a hit of Brettanomyces that was just a bit much for us.

Still, we're glad we tried this wine all the same.

After taking my WSET Level 3 exam in Washington DC, I decided to take the long road back to Pittsburgh via a detour to Loudoun County, Virginia's wine region.

My first winery visited in the county was 868 Estate Winery which was making news for winning the 2020 Virginia Governor's Cup for their Vidal Ice Wine. While they were, rather predictably, sold out of the ice wine, I was met with a decent wine list available as well as stunning views at the vineyard.

The Gerogian grape Saperavi is quickly becoming a favorite of producers in the Finger Lakes. One of the first plantings of this grape came at Standing Stone vineyard and they have been excelling at this particular varietal for a while now.

One variant the winery offers is a rose made from this grape, and with a crisp acidity and strong red fruit flavors, we have to say it was a pretty delicious rose!

Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery in the Finger Lakes has been a staple of the region for many decades, and with good reason. This one produces some fine wines that are quite representative of their styles and go down quickly.

So if you are in the mood for an easy-drinking off-dry Riesling, Dr. Konstantin Frank's Reserve Riesling should be right up your alley!

Anthony Road is a popular winery located towards the northwest end of Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes. With a beautiful tasting room, a wealth of wines available to taste, and a visitor's garden featuring grape vines, herbs, and more, this is really the kind of winery we love to visit.

Naturally, we also left with a number of bottles.

One such bottle was their off-dry Vignoles, and we recently paired it with a spicy chicken tikka masala which made for a wonderful pairing!

Bev Wines Review – Canned Wine Best For Sipping Outside

Flat Brim Wines Not Basic Picpoul 2019 Review

The Urban Grape is Our Kind of Boston Wine Store

5 Shenandoah Valley Wineries to Visit for a Glass and Views

Shenandoah Vineyard’s Blanc 2018 Review – Off-Dry and Tropical

Bloomer Creek Vin d’Ete 2018 Review – Complex and Bretty

868 Estate Winery – A Quaint Winery in Loudoun County, VA

Standing Stone Saperavi Rose 2019 Review – Crisp and Refreshing

Dr. Konstantin Frank Reserve Riesling 2017 Review

Anthony Road Vignoles 2019 Review – Off-Dry with Tropical Aromas