Union Wine Co launches Pinot lollipops

Union Wine Company, the Oregon winery that caused controversy in 2013 with its Pinot Noir in a can, has launched a range of boozy lollipops.

Inspired by winemaker Ryan Harms’ love of sweets, the winery has collaborated with Quin Candy on Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris lollipop flavours.

Available via the Union Wine Company website, the lollies are made with Underwood Pinot Noir and Underwood Pinot Gris, both of which are sold in 12 ounce tin cans.

According to its makers, the Pinot Noir lolly boasts notes of “cherry, blackberry and cola”, while the Pinot Gris lollly offers flavours of “peach, grapefruit and pear”.

Gift packs including two tumblers, two cans of wine and a bag of wine lollies have gone on sale at $20 a pop.   

To make the boozy treats, the team at Quin tasted the wines and picked out the fruit flavours they found within them, from cherry and blackberry to peach, mimicking them in the hard candy lollies using fruit extracts.

To retain the wine flavour, the wine is cooked twice – once to reduce it and a second time to make the sweets, meaning the alcohol is removed.

“To round out the flavour, we add a couple of common bakery ingredients to the candy that add the right hint of booze without the booze,” explained Quin owner Jami Curl.