A new school of wine drinking is hitting the mainstream in California restaurants. Surprisingly, the latest culture surrounding the bottle does not actually come from the bottle, or even the cask, but rather from the keg. Over the years, a variety of techniques have been tried in the name of developing a more accessible wine list; but wine on tap has quickly become the most convenient way to serve wine in restaurants, surpassing traditional by-the-glass or bottle options, pouring into dining rooms and bars across the West Coast.

Once we uncover the steps of winemaking, we realize that this is actually a natural way of storing and serving the product. For winemakers, keg storage is just one option within the grand process of wine-making. Between the fermentation, aging and bottling process, wine is often held in large steel tanks. And if any wine doesn’t make it to the bottle, kegging it is an easy go-to for storage.

While any wine can be kegged, only certain types of wine will benefit from selling in keg form. Those include young, fresh wines that are ready to drink and do not benefit from aging. At Tavern at Lark Creek, some of the youngest wine options on the list are offered on tap, including the ’09 Andrew Lane Gamay Noveau. “There are limitations,” says Jordan Kivelstadt of Silvertap Wines, so many limitations that the keg won’t replace the bottle any time soon. The bottle will always be preferred for the big, bold wines that age well.

From a quality perspective, the benefits of keg wine are great. There is no possibility of corking or oxidization, which is an assurance that the wine will hold up as the vintner intended and will be a true representation of the quality, skill and craftsmanship that went into making it. On the other hand, wines like the “unfiltered” Dutton Estate Chardonnay can be offered by the glass, half bottle, or bottle at Tavern at Lark Creek. The days of low-quality boxes of wine are over and the nuisance of corked bottles of wine will be next to go.

The value equation: More quality wine for less

One of the largest benefits, and naturally a major selling point of wine on tap is its low price-to-value ratio. Drew Dickson of Andrew Lane Wines notes that the reduction in packaging costs and ability to sell the wine in a bulk form (five gallons equals 26 bottles) delivers a reduction in cost for the winemaker of up to 30 percent, which can be relayed not only to the restaurateur but also to the end consumer.

In fact, Gus Vahlkamp, Wine Director for Out the Door in San Francisco, notes that their restaurant which serves 1100 covers per day has consistently had a 20 percent over-pour issue because of the use of traditional bottled wine. Accordingly, with their most recent opening of Out the Door, their more casual dining location, Vahlkamp and Chef/Owner Charles Phan decided to install 12 keg-wine taps. The wine on tap system has afforded them a great amount of flexibility in selling the wine, whether it be by the glass, carafe or just for a taste.

For winemaker Drew Dickson, drinking wine from a keg delivers on “a feeling of community which presents the authenticity of the product and is something that not only the customer, but also the wait staff can get behind.” Being able to offer a taste of a wine promotes an increased level of sampling and inherent ownership over the ultimate selection. There is the option to drink one glass at a time rather than buying a whole bottle.

The largest industry opportunity for wine on tap is restaurants. For an operation whose wine demand fluctuates more frequently, the flexibility of a wine on tap program is a goldmine. Oftentimes, there are issues with spoilage and this is often passed on to the diner if an inferior version of the wine is served. Instead, with the tap system, the wine is always available at a consistent and impeccable level of quality; as a result, the operator can ensure a better product, in turn bringing more faithful customers to their establishments. The chance of serving a glass from a three-day old bottle of wine is eliminated.

The restaurant can go so far as to model the brand experience around this product, turning a normal wine list into a tasting experience, showcasing products, wineries and even winemakers. Additionally, the wine director can offer to sell the product by the ounce, allowing for “tastes” to complete bottle offerings; whereas a wine flight may have been otherwise intensive, having to open three or four bottles of wine. Russian River Valley’s DeLoach Vineyard’s barrel-to-barrel wines were a key player in the revolution of wine-by-the-glass options. Their bag-in-barrel wine kegs that offer the winery’s signature Pinot Noir, are formed from oak and chestnut by a French cooperage, Vicard. Unlike wine kegs, the DeLoach barrels are designed to sit behind the bar, allowing servers to give samples and pour glasses of wine from a spigot instead of a tap. With kegs of wine, the labor is now greatly reduced.

The confidence that keg wine offers can additionally be capitalized on by investing in more respectable offerings with higher-end wines, such as a $16 glass of wine, because the waste issue is eliminated. Vahlkamp has taken the opportunity to further stylize the wine menu based on the sophisticated character of these tap wines. He will work with vintners such as Abe Schoener at the Scholium Project or Kevin O’Connor at Lioco Wines, to create custom blends (60 gallons) which will be developed to more seamlessly complement the menu’s bright Asian flavors. This is clearly a very intensive approach to the wine selection process, but it parallels the culinary development process for creating a restaurant menu.

Consumer focus

Delivering a quality wine at a reasonable price is finally available to guests who seek an affordable and palatable option on the beverage menu. No longer will the consumer feel as if restaurants are over-charging for bottled wine. Kivelstadt’s Sauvignon Blanc runs around $4.50 a glass from the keg. With the economics of the equation explained to the consumer, this wine becomes an agreeable choice. Silvertap currently offers five wines on tap with plans for a total of eight by the summer with national distribution.

For the consumer who is interested in sharing a glass with his/her dining companions, the half-bottle of wine has always been a losing equation. Not only was the list drastically shorter than the regular sized bottle or even the by-the-glass offering, but it was usually overpriced too, in comparison. With keg wine, we find a consumer friendly option with comparably lower priced offerings: wines that would be sold for eight to twelve dollars per glass out of a bottle are closer to six to ten dollars. This has created what Gus Vahlkamp calls an “overwhelmingly positive response” to the product.

For Dickson, who started selling his Beaujolais Nouveau wine in kegs as long as five years ago, the format has been an unbelievable success. It has allowed his brand to become popular in a variety of settings, including Simmzy’s and Tin Roof Bistro in Manhattan Beach, which offer a number of high percentage alcohol beers on tap. Dickson’s wines fit right in and immediately began selling well after they were introduced. He is now selling all of his premium wines, including cabernet sauvignon and merlot, in the keg.

Back-of-the-house

For restaurants, wine on tap presents a valuable option for the beverage menu. From a business perspective, the equipment investment is low and takes much of the worry out of the operators’ hands compared to the proper wine storage guidelines for bottled wine. A two-tap system runs in the $200 range while the top of the line 12-tap system can run four to five thousand.

And while there are a few variables that could cause problems, hardware issues, line links, to name a few…the risks and frequency of occurrence are low. For Kivelstadt, servicing restaurants who serve his wine has been a major selling point and added value. The upkeep is minimal – cleaning taps and ensuring the lines are running smoothly can be done every three months or so. Some distributors will even take care of this for you.

The green equation

Serving wine on tap is not just a good business decision, it presents a green option in that there is less packaging and the kegs are reused. The majority are converted five-gallon stainless steel Cornelius kegs. At Andrew Lane Wines, they have made the switch to polypropylene which is much lighter in weight. At Silvertap, Microstar plastic kegs are used which are energy efficient in production and are half the weight compared to the steel. The weight of the kegs makes them easier for the operator to use and reduces the carbon footprint in freight from winery to table. Just as these steel and plastic kegs boast a green factor, DeLoach’s barrels made from 100% recyclable material, offer both environmental and cost-saving advantages. Additionally, the reduction in use of glass and cork is a major savings and cost reduction in that those materials are also hard to recycle. Any bartender can describe the extensive amount of waste incurred in using glass wine bottles.

While traditionalists may not buy into it, the latest generation of wine drinkers is prepared for the green option, and hopefully this will create a sea change in our restaurant culture. As the price of wines is driven down by the reduction in costs, customers will be more willing to spend money at the restaurant and be happier to enjoy a second “bottle.”

Jeffrey Decker trained as a chef at Spago Beverly Hills and at world-renowned small luxury hotels around the world. He now works as a chef and project coordinator at The Culinary Edge in San Francisco where he has consulted     on concept and menu development projects for the top chain restaurants in the country. He has also launched numerous new concepts while also developing retail items for commercialization. Jeff@TheCulinaryEdge.com