Cheers

All of the wines served at Jamber Wine Pub in San Francisco are dispensed from a wine tap system from Free Flow wines; the operator does not offer any bottled wines. Wine-on-tap Storage and Delivery Systems Once operators have located a source for kegged wines, they need to construct or purchase a system to dispense them. Vinotemp. for one, offers a four-tap wine keg dispenser, mounted on casters for easy mobility, and a thermostat that adjusts from 50 to 65 degrees. Perlick features several systems, including the 60" Dual Zone Wine Center, which can dispense up to eight different wines in two temperature zones. Micromatic's Pro-Line Wine systems have two to eight taps, with dual temperatures for white and red wines. How do you choose? "A big consideration is infrastructure," says David Gordon, founder of kegged wine provider Richer Pour. "Does the venue have existing tap lines they can use, or do they have space to add a tap set-up if they don't already have one?" Be sure that all fittings that come in contact with the wine are made of 304 grade stainless steel. The 303 stainless "will cause an off-reaction with the wine and produce sulphur-like aromas," says Bruce Schneider, cofounder of wine-on-tap firm Gotham Project. He adds that while 303 grade remains the standard for beer, manufacturers are increasingly using 304 grade so towers can be used interchangeably with wine or beer.—KAM 20 | OCTOBER 2013 Free Flow Wines saved 347,254 bottles, corks, capsules, labels and cases—equaling over 260 tons of packaging waste—from landfills nationwide." Wines on tap also reduce shipping costs, as kegs are lighter than glass bottles, further decreasing a venue's carbon footprint, he adds. Working with Free Flow Wines, Two Urban Licks has changed 30 wines to 5-gallon reusable kegs. The rest of its wines are in 15-gallon kegs, Rushing says, "but we will eventually move to all 5-gallon kegs. The New York-based Gotham Project also produces and sources wines for distribution on tap. Bruce Schneider and Charles Bieler cofounded the company, which provides its more than 300 customers nationwide with over 35 domestic and international wine offerings. Gotham Project's goal is to keep the distance that stainless steel kegs travel from empty to refill to less than 500 miles. To that end, they have developed a network of "filling stations" in New York, California, Illinois, Washington and Colorado. Schneider has seen an increased interest in both local and kegged wines. "The casual nature of wine on tap is very much in line with the national trends we are seeing towards casual fine dining, small plates and menus, craft beers and cocktails." Wines offered by Richer Pour offer a slightly different variation of the keg format. Instead of refillable ones made from stainless steel, Richer Pour wines are poured into 5.28-gallon vessels made from 100% recyclable materials. "Not only are they lighter and more efficient to ship than bottles, they can be put out with a venue or restaurant's recycling when empty," says founder David Gordon. Richer www.cheersonline.com

• Cover