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www.cheersonline.com 30 • January/February 2015 that have been left sitting out for a while. The basic premise of wine-tap technology models the same format of most beer draft systems, although many companies now offer customized equipment specific to the wine industry. TAPPING INTO THE TREND While the concept of wine on tap originated in the 1970s, it didn't catch on right away. In fact, the first restaurant to serve wine on tap in the U.S. was Two Urban Licks in Atlanta, which opened in 2004. Co-owner Todd Rushing created an entire wine-on-tap menu with 42 different kegged wine varieties; it now offers 72. An impressive "wine wall" system is a focal point of the restaurant, standing 26- ft. tall and enclosed in a glass and steel temperature-controlled tower. Wines on tap are available in four sizes: small, medium, large and thief. Current selections include Frog's Leap cabernet sauvignon, starting at $14 per glass; Big Fire pinot gris (starting at $12 per glass); and Darcie Kent chardonnay (starting at $10 per glass). Rushing recalls custom-fitting the wine taps himself a decade ago, and talking various wineries into offering the keg service. Today there are a plethora of wine-tap companies from which to choose from. "I work with multiple companies, and I'm very particular about what best preserves the wine," Rushing says. He insists on stainless steel kegs that have the ability to be sanitized and refilled. One of the first wine-on-tap providers that Two Urban Licks started working with was Free Flow Wines. The Napa, CA-based company boasts a portfolio of over 200 wine clients and offers more than 450 different varieties of wine on tap. Free Flow recently recognized sustainability achievements in wine on tap with its first Keggy Awards contest: Winners include Au Bon Climat, Qupé, Constellation Brands, Francis Ford Coppola Winery, Hahn Family Wines, King Estate Winery, and The Wine Group. The Breslin Bar & Dining Room in New York's Ace Hotel and sister restaurant The John Dory Oyster Bar serve multiple wines on tap. In addition to several tap lines inside the main restaurant area, The Breslin recently added four new wine tap lines in the lobby bar. The operator rotates wines seasonally, says wine director Jessica Brown, and offers them by the glass, half bottle and full bottle. Selections include a Finger Lakes riesling, starting at $12 a glass, and a Finger Lakes cabernet franc ($13 a glass). SUBSTANTIAL SAVINGS Brown says tap wines are more economical for operators from a business standpoint. "They are less expensive for us to buy, and we're then able to offer a higher quality wine to our customers at a lower price," she explains. "It's the same quality of wine whether it comes in a tap or a bottle, and our customers appreciate the added value." The Smart Wine Co., a Fort Lauderdale, FL-based wine- on-tap provider, has a client list of more than 300 operators across 16 states. President/CEO Cindy Diffenderfer says that her clients are impressed at the savings with wine kegs: Her per-bottle wine price from starts at $3.18 and goes up to $27 for premium wines. "It's a huge cost savings for operators, and the consumer has little awareness of what's going on behind the scenes," Diffenderfer says. Wine isn't as branded as beer, "so you can have a nice merlot on your menu and satisfy the category." The Smart Wine Co. currently has a portfolio of 13 domestic wines, including Silvertap 2012 sauvignon blanc, Wine Angel 2012 pinot grigio, and Copper Sky 2012 French Colombard. The company plans to begin offering international selections as well this year. The wine-kegging operation of Napa, CA-based Free Flow Wines serves more than 200 clients. Two Urban Licks in Atlanta was the first operator in the U.S. to serve wine on tap when it opened in 2004.