Five years ago Clive’s Wines launched their sparkling rhubarb wine – Rhubling, made in the traditional champagne method of in bottle fermentation. This has gone on to be their best seller.
Clive Darby, the owner says: “The more we sold the more we got asked for a smaller version for picnic’s, hampers and single serve. This started our investigations into smaller bottles, just as covid hit. This put plans on hold, however we kept the idea bubbling (pun intended!) and after a fortuitous conversation with a local ale canning company in early 2022, we were able to discuss their business and plans for the future. It coincided with them looking to expand their canning operations and us looking for a company that could do initial small runs of sparkling wine with capacity to grow and add more flavours.”
In spring 2022 they sent a small batch of raspberry wine to the company, for them to carry out some trials. After a lot of trial and error, trying out various pressure levels to add carbonation, an ideal fizz level was achieved. With this success they sent out about 150 cans to family, friends, regular buyers and retailers to get honest feedback. “It was important that they were honest and didn’t pull any punches, as I won’t put anything out unless I am 100 % happy with the product. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, even from those who like a dryer wine (Disclaimer here, I have a sweet tooth so our wines are like a dessert wine but not too sweet)“, says Clive.
With this feedback they started a batch of raspberry wine (enough to fill 1,500 cans) in the late summer of 2022. The wines can take up to six months to be ready for bottling, so the plan was to launch in Spring 2023.
“Everything has now come together and we have our 1st canned wine (it’s only been 11 years since I started my wine making journey) to launch into stores and online in April 2023.”
The branding was an evolution of their wine bottle labels, as they wanted to keep it simple but recognisable as a product from Clive’s Wines. The big purple C came about after their rebrand in 2019 to firstly, make the brand stand out from others but also to make Clive’s name stand out more. He says: “I always remember watching Dragon’s Den when I was thinking about my business and its name. Duncan Banatyne said it to one of the pitchers – “if you’re proud of your product put your name on it” – so I did! Hence Clive’s Wines.”
Along the process of looking for a smaller sparkling option they discovered that Aluminum is easier to recycle making it better for the environment. Is lighter for transport so helps with reducing weight transportation costs and doesn’t break into sharp pieces if dropped. Therefore a better alternative to glass bottles for hampers, picnics or drinks on the move on the train!
With the success of the raspberry cans they are now looking at adding more flavours from the existing range – Rhubarb, Elderflower, Strawberry & Elderflower. They are also trialling a couple of new flavours – Summer Fruits and Blueberry. Depending on production capacity it may come out next year!
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