20 MARCH 15, 2016 Good Fruit Grower www.goodfruit.com
S
ecuring good quality fruit is fundamental to
making good wine, but making sure consumers
enjoy that wine in the best possible condition is
often out of the hands of the winemaker.
Top-notch bottling practices are nothing
against the risks posed by poor storage and oxidation
once the wine is opened — a serious problem given
the popularity of by-the-glass lists at many restaurants.
Often, limiting the choices available to consumers is the
only way to make sure bottles aren't opened for single
pours and left to deteriorate, which is a waste of both
good wine and money.
To facilitate single pours with minimum waste, some
wineries have turned to steel kegs that are both reusable
and provide an airtight container to keep wine fresh to
the last drop.
"We get both the glass pour as well as a list on the bot-
tle program," said Rob Summers, winemaker with Hester
Creek Estate Winery in Oliver, British Columbia. "It sup-
ports our bottle program, and it also gives us a chance to
get the glass pours or house wine pours where we may
not have had an opportunity."
Hester Creek experimented with wines in beer kegs
in the past, but what seemed like a good idea fell short
because the wines rapidly oxidized. The winery revis-
ited the idea in 2012 when FreshTAP Logistics Inc. of
Vancouver, British Columbia, introduced a keg system
developed by Free Flow Wines LLC in California. A blend
Uncorked potential
with wine ON TAP
Companies cater to
restaurants that don't
want to waste a whole
bottle on a single pour.
by Peter Mitham
Grapes