A few years ago while driving in Sonoma County, Calif., Gina Schober and her husband, Jake Stover, had a discussion that led to a brainstorm.

They were talking about wine-loving friends who enjoyed hiking, bicycling and boating but did not want to be burdened by heavy bottles of wine and related paraphernalia on their outings. Unfortunately, their friends did not like beer.

Why not, the couple asked themselves, put fine wine in cans?

In 2016, Ms. Schober and Mr. Stover started Sans Wine Company, dedicated to making good California wine and putting it into convenient, lightweight cans, the sort of containers that would be easy to take to the beach or on a hike.

They were well positioned to take on the challenge. Mr. Stover was a vineyard manager who had made wine and had the connections necessary to find desirable vineyards with available grapes. Ms. Schober, who works for a wine brokerage, knew how to market and sell wine.