A Margaret River boutique winery has stopped production of its canned wine, after being warned-off by a Melbourne-based wine company which said it held the patent.

Blind Corner vineyard owner Ben Gould said he received an email from Barokes Wines after an article in the Australian Financial Review mentioned “Pig in a Can”.

“Pig in a Can” was Blind Corner’s limited release canned Pinot Grigio.

Vinsafe is the patent for wine in a can which is held by Barokes Wines in 41 countries, including China and Australia.

Mr Gould said he believed his canned wine did not breach the patent as it was not packaged in Vinsafe cans.

“From what I understand it did not infringe on the patent,” he said.

Barokes Wines sales and marketing director Irene Stokes said it was important for the company to protect its patent and the high standard of canned wine.

“Wine in a can products produced not using Vinsafe have a shelf life of less than four months which often means they have gone off by the time they reach the retail shelf,” she said.

“As this is a relatively new category it’s important to maintain the quality so that consumers come back after the initial trial.”

Despite interest from the market, Mr Gould said he was not looking at canning wine in the future.

Wines of Western Australia chief executive Larry Jorgensen said he did not see why wine producers could not use some other form of packaging that did not infringe on the patent.