Maker Makin’ News

"For Sarah Hoffman, co-founder of Maker, putting the consumer first means promoting high quality. For her, cans are a way to grab attention for great winemakers while offering the consumer an easy way to try those wines. "Our passion came from love for small producers and getting their names out there," said Hoffman. Best of all, the quality is on par with what consumers can expect from the bottles made by those winemakers."

That aspect of community is a priority for Hoffman and Kawala, who visit vineyards to produce and package the wines themselves. “We make the wine elbow to elbow with our producers at the winery, and we send shipments directly to our consumers’ doors,” Kawala says. It all goes along with Maker Wine’s ethos: to embrace wine “sans the snobbery” while amplifying the work of independent winemakers instead of mass producers.

VinePair Podcast: Maker Wine Co-founders Sarah Hoffman and Kendra Kawala Are Betting Big on Canned Wine.

The Best Canned Wines for Every Palate

"If you’re headed to your friend’s pool party and she’s, ahem, incredibly discerning about wine—to put it politely—Maker is the vino to bring. The women-owned brand works with small wineries to feature varieties you won’t find at your local liquor store. Even your pickiest friend won’t be able to resist ‘em."

“At the recent North Coast Wine Challenge (NCWC) there was an unexpected victor — a canned wine that won a (double) gold medal with 96 points. “The score was because the wine was that good,” said judge and vintner Nick Goldschmidt.”

“Maker is changing the canned wine game with one of the first canned wine clubs and, perhaps, the only one focused on premium canned wine.”

“The Maker cans are gorgeous, and the wines, well, to this wine judge, are pretty freaking amazing. For one, thing, they are fresh and energetic and don’t taste like they came out of a can.”

Our Great Big List of the Best Canned Wines - "Each can has a different industry-insider “maker,” whose names are on the labels. Maker also prioritizes customer connection with a can club, virtual gatherings and one-on-one community building via SMS."

“The collaboration with MAKER has yielded by far the best canned Pinot Noir I have had the pleasure of tasting.”

“In the mouth, bright raspberry cherry and herb flavors have excellent acidity and a faint tannic backbone, that gives it some nice dimensionality.” – Alder Yarrow

"Today, the new kids on the block are prioritizing quality, and several companies are working directly with some of the best winemakers and growers.

I did some blind taste testing of my own, just in time for summer. If you’re looking for a great canned rosé, try Maker Wine."

“So far this summer I’ve had a dry, fruity rosé from Christensen Winecraft sipped while reading beside a lake, a delicately floral Viognier from Campovida Wines with my dinner beside the campfire, and a perfectly crushable Pinot Noir from Handley Cellars while taking in the sunset from Mount Hood.”

“In its first year in business, Novato-based Maker Wine Company earned a 96 score plus best-in-class and double-gold awards from 2020 North Coast Wine Challenge for a 2019 barrel-aged viognier made by Campovida winery in Mendocino County.”

“As far as a canned wine club goes, this is among the best, with modern, sleek packaging and some truly tasty wines. Standouts include a viognier from Campovida in California’s Mendocino County, a chenin blanc by Revolution in Sacramento and a sparkling sauvignon blanc that’s crafted by Bodkin winemaker Chris Christensen.”

“Two other perfect transportable options that I love include Maker’s new sparkling sauvignon blanc – the 250 ml single-serving can is the perfect summer sparkling wine with lemon-lime aromas with citrus and passion fruit flavors.”

“One exciting newcomer is Maker Wine. Both its whites – a Chenin Blanc from an urban winery in Clarksburg, and an organic Viognier from Mendocino – are elegant and moreish. The rosé is a delicious maverick.”

“Maker canned wines come from several different small-batch producers, and when you order from them, you’ll get tasting notecards that tell you the story of the specific winemaker who poured their love into that can.”