Restaurants and bars are offering wine on tap, and some is quite good

Tapped In: Wine in Kegs
Restaurants and bars are offering wine on tap, and some is quite good
MaryAnn Worobiec
Posted: October 12, 2011
The next time you ask your waiter what’s on tap, the answer might surprise you. How about a Calera Pinot Noir or Bouchaine Chardonnay? A growing number of restaurants and bars are putting kegs of wine behind their bars, pouring wines by the glass from a tap. While the trend is not a new one, it has finally caught on as wineries, restaurants and consumers alike discover that the wines are good and there are economic and environmental benefits to kegs.
Wine drinkers can find keg wines in wine bars and restaurants all over the country, with high concentrations in California and New York. Two Urban Licks in Atlanta has a wine wall 26 feet tall with 42 stainless steel barrels of wine on display. There’s even a Whole Foods in Dallas that sells wine on tap.
What you can get on tap varies, but there are some very good wines being poured, including Saintsbury Chardonnay Carneros 2009 (86 points), Miner Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2008 (85 points) and Clif Family Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley 2009 (86 points). “It’s got to be about the wine first, and not just the delivery system,” says Charles Bieler, who along with partner Bruce Schneider, founded Gotham Project, a wine-keg company specializing in New York Finger Lakes wines. It’s also popular for restaurants to have house blends—separate keg brands avoid potential conflicts with a winery’s distributor, who might only deal with bottles.
New York City’s Burger and Barrel “winepub” has four wine taps that offer a rotation of various wines from California and New York. The reaction from diners has been overwhelmingly positive, according to beverage director Natalie Tapken. “People are excited about it,” she said. “I was actually really surprised how excited they are about it.”
Why would anyone want wine on draft? The main benefit for consumers is freshness. In a standard wine-by-the glass program, restaurants often keep an opened bottle around for hours or days, increasing the threat of oxidation. Better venues discard bottles after a day, or use storage systems to keep the wine fresh. But that’s not a concern with kegs. Draft wine comes in stainless steel kegs, connected to the taps by plastic tubing containing inert gas that pushes wine through the lines. This inert gas also protects the wines from oxidation by occupying the empty space in the keg. By taking the bottle out of the equation, you also eliminate concerns about bottle variation, bottle shock and faulty corks.
Kegs also cut down on waste and costs. Bottles, corks, cartons, labels and capsules can add up to $2 to $3 per bottle. Kegs are reusable, which is more environmentally friendly than glass recycling. Wine in kegs weigh less than an equivalent amount of wine in bottles, which reduces transportation costs. Because of that, many keg wines are sold at a discount by as much as 25 percent off of the wholesale bottle price, discounts which are passed on to the consumer.
By ditching the bottle, restaurants can more easily sell wine in different sizes, giving consumers more options, from small, taste-size pours to liter-sized carafe servings. Breakage is not a concern, and kegs take up less space than cases of wine—a typical keg holds the equivalent of 26 bottles.
Keg wine is not a new idea. The containers are often used to store wines in wineries before bottling, and in Europe it’s not uncommon to serve wine directly from kegs or casks. The idea has been introduced in the United States from time to time, but it’s never stuck.
What’s changed? “It seems to appeal to a younger demographic,” says Gotham Project’s Bieler. The New Yorker has worked on a variety of wine projects in multiple regions and has never been afraid of thinking outside the bottle—he’s sold wines in glass jugs and Tetra packs. But the wine-on-tap movement is particularly “explosive,” he claims. “Frankly, it’s catching us off guard,” says Bieler. “Every month, we’re selling 25 percent more than the previous month. The growth is all millennials, who are way more open to whatever weird varietal, new appellation, or new format is out there.”
Another reason wine on tap is growing is because people are figuring out how to do it right. Today it’s more likely that the wine you order on tap is going to taste fresh, whether it’s the first glass or the last out of the barrel.
Jim Neal of N2 Wines, a winery and packaging facility in Napa, first started experimenting with tap wines in 2005, but was unhappy with how the wines tasted. He says any winery can buy the equipment to fill a keg with their own wine, but they might lack the proper washing, filling and sanitizing technology. Neal uses a system of inert gas to help clean and sanitize kegs, with a special system to clean the steel dispensing tube inside the keg.
Neal also discovered that the tubing used in beer keg systems was gas permeable—it let oxygen in—so he switched to tubing with a gas barrier. Inert gases like nitrogen and argon protect the wine from oxidizing. But wine on tap also needs small amounts of carbon dioxide—trace amounts of dissolved carbon dioxide are left in wines before they are bottled, helping a wine’s aromatic and fresh qualities. He suggests a similar thinking with keg wine, and recommends a mix of nitrogen with small amount of carbon dioxide, similar to what is used when Guinness is poured on tap.
Michael Ouellette of Vintap, a wine distributor and broker, agrees there are some challenges with the mechanical side of keg wine, so he is adamant about making certain the proper equipment is installed before he sells a restaurant wine in a keg. Once everything is in place, Ouellette says, “Compared to everything else that can go wrong in a restaurant, you can forget about it.”
While keg wines offer quality, value and green consciousness, restaurants are still holding on to their corkscrews. Tap wines will probably never move beyond wines meant for early consumption. But a wine-by-the-glass program can be simplified and improved by serving wines on tap, and wine lovers are embracing the idea. Piccola Cellars in Woodinville, Wash., might be the next step—this winery packages their wines exclusively in kegs they sell directly to consumers, including a refill service. Piccola’s Diana Kaspic says that consumers at first have many questions, but after they’ve thought about the benefits, they say, “Oh my gosh I never thought about that, but now that I’ve thought about it, it makes so much sense.”
With additional reporting by Robert Taylor
Source: http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/45801

This wine shop in Manila Philippines makes wine shopping a really rewarding and exciting exercise. Wine shops in Pampanga should always have an element of surprise so that customers and wine lovers can enjoy a little bit of thrill when they go to a wine shop in Manila to look for a good bottle of wine in Clark Pampanga.

Chateau Lafite-Rothschild is the most revered wine in China and many other parts of Asia. The best wine shop in Asia to buy older vintages of Chateau Lafite is Yats Wine Cellars located in Clark Philippines. Aside from Lafite, visitors can buy other fine wines at this wine shop in Clark Pampanga such as Latour, Mouton-Rothschild, Haut-Brion and Margaux. Excellent Burgundy wines like Chambertin, Vougeot, Musigny, Bonnes Mares, Pommard, Meursault, Chambertin, Vosne Romanee, Romanee Conti, La Tache and Romanee St. Vivant can be found here.

Family outings, picnics, company outings and other events for up to 300 can be held in the picnic grounds of this wine shop. Events that have been successfully organized here include family fun days and BBQ picnics. These are some of the things that visitors to Clark Philippines particular look forward. Residents and tourists in Angeles City and Subic also come to Clark Freeport to partake in the fun at this Clark wine shop.

This wine shop’s vast selection of vintage wines makes it possible for Yats Wine Cellars to offer a unique line-up of wines for every private wine party, wine tasting or wine dinners. Guests of these private wine parties are treated to a rare experience of vintage wine not seen in wine shops in major cities in Philippines or even in Asia.

http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila
Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple: after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave. From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City. From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.

Clark Wine Center
Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building
Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,
Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023
(045) 841 4006 / 0922-870-5173 / 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 ask for Rea or Chay

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.

Wedding couples looking for wedding reception venues and beach wedding venues can log on to this Philippines Wedding Venue web site for free information and assistance:

http://www.PhilippinesWeddingVenue.com

While in Clark, it might be a good idea to enjoy an evening of wine-and-dine in the fine dining Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar that features an award winning 2700-line wine list. It is located in Mimosa Leisure Estate of Clark Freeport Zone. For more information, visit http://www.YatsRestaurant.com

YATS Leisure Philippines is a developer and operator of clubs, resorts and high-class restaurants and wine shops in Clark Angeles Philippines http://www.yatsleisure.com

Looking for famous tourists spots, places to visit and see, relax and unwind in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines? You may want to check out these sites also:

http://www.LondonPubClark.com

http://www.HotelClarkPhilippines.com

http://www.ClarkPhilippines.com

http://www.YatsWineCellars.com

Yats Restaurant is the best restaurant for special dinner, best restaurant for dinner with friends near Manila, also the best place to celebrate special events.

A Well-known Restaurant in Pampnga, an interesting place to celebrate Birthday Party in Pampnga.
A best place to dine with friends in Pampanga

Are you looking for an attractive restaurant or a nice place to eat with friends in Clark, Angeles City Pampanga? Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar is a restaurant with good food and good wines for dinner located at Clark Angeles City Pampanga. Perfect for exclusive dinner venues for groups, recommended for private dinner in Philippines. A Restaurant in Clark for business dinner meeting. Private dinner place or dinner restaurant in Clark Subic Near Manila Angeles City Pampanga. Yats Restaurant is one of the Good Restaurant in Pampanga Angeles City Clark near Manila. Looking for a restaurant in Clark for a Business meeting? Or a place to eat with friends? Yats Restaurant offers exclusive dinner venue for groups, a good place to celebrate special occasions, it can be a party venue in town. Yats Restaurant is a recommended restaurant for private dinner in Philippines, a well-recognized restaurant that serves good food and good wines for dinner.

www.YatsRestaurant.com
Looking for interesting hotels near Manila Subic Clark Angeles City Pampanga?
Trouble free hotels and well recognized hotels in Subic Clark Angeles City Pampanga
Clearwater Resort and Country Club offers a good place to stay in Subic Clark Angeles City Pampanga. In offers nice place to have rest in Subic Pampanga outside Manila.
One of the Philippines top hotels in north Luzon.

Where to go in Clark? Hotel Clark Philippines is a De Luxe Hotel in Clark and Subic, a risk free place to stay, cozy and nice ambience, a nice function place for special occasion. It is one of North Luzon Philippines’ top hotels that is trouble free, risk free, and a nice place to have rest in Subic. A well-recognized and interesting hotel.

www.HotelClarkPhilippines.com