It was interesting to read in this month’s Wine Enthusiast a small snippet (p. 17) about how some wineries and restaurants in the U.S. are offering draft wine from a keg. We already do this for beer, so why not for wine too? The main benefit the article focused on was dollars saved by the producer of not bottling the wine, saving on environmental costs due to the recycling of those bottles as well as the ability for kegs to keep the beverage fresher for longer than bottles can.
I certainly haven’t seen a restaurant or winery offering wine in this way yet, though several countries in Europe have been doing it for centuries, especially France and Italy. The article does mention the “vino sfuso” tradition in Italy, which is where you can take your own container (2.5 – 20 liters) at a cost of roughly 3-4 euros per liter to fill it up with bulk wine, most often at a wine cooperative. Many times the tap is directly connected to the wine vat itself. However, this is mostly for those who buy wine for drinking on a daily basis and with meals, which is very different from the culture we know here in the U.S. Remember, centuries ago water was often contaminated in many of these countries so folks drank wine instead. This style of wine will not have benefited from any subsequent barrel or bottle aging because the wine will be wine that is ready to be drunk young anyway and is too costly to age in expensive barrels and ship in bottles. Additionally, it is often wine made from lower quality grapes, but rather than throw them away, they are made available for those who still buy their wine this way.
Can the U.S. successfully implement a system like this? Two Buck Chuck has been met with mixed success, so can the next natural extension of that be offered at your local QT next to the fountain drinks? In this sucky economy and many wineries struggling to make a profit, this may take vin sfuso to the next level. Just think bigger boxes of box wine… the kind you can ship and install in a dispenser at the grocery store, convenient store, gas station, you name it. The only problem is whether or not there will be a demand for this type of wine in our country. Do we have a daily, drink-with-a-meal wine that is separate from our barrel-aged, complex wine that we want to ooh-and-ahh over with every sip on the patio? I think there is an opportunity here…
I would love to know if you would you buy wine by the keg or go to your local wine pump to fill up your jug of wine this week?
I’ll modify an old saying, “Life is too short to drink super cheap wine.”
I, personally, don’t need to drink more wine with more meals…. I need to drink less wine and more water. So, when I do drink wine, I want it to be GOOD.
But, there could still be a market for this even though I would not likely be a customer. Many people I talk to do like any type of wine and the cheaper the better. They’re not looking for every sip to be a savory experience. So, I imagine they would be happy to save a few bucks by buying wine in bulk.
Two Urban Licks does this! Go check it out. Though they serve their whites too warm (and I like a “warm” white).
Also, there is a chain called Vom Fass that I saw in Zurich that sells all kinds of interesting things from the barrel/keg/etc. – http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaplanbr/2347948195/
Thanks, Jonjie for your comment and I agree!
Biskuit, we haven’t been to Two Urban Links in several years, but now that you mention it, I do recall the mini-kegs of wine they offered on their menu, but I did not try them. I seem to recall they had several options of odd serving sizes, but I can’t find a wine menu on their site. Very cool pics of Vom Fass… I gotta get out more often…
I’d do it, but I don’t think it would be very successful, because Jonjie’s comment is a pretty good indicator (in my opinion) of what the American mentality toward wine is. There an ingrained, Puritanical sense of guilt from drinking wine with every meal that doesn’t seem to exist in Europe. So, in an effort to be more “respectable”, [the collective] we try to limit our intake of wine, thus making it a special occasion-type affair, thus driving us to drink higher quality product.
The reason I would do it would be mainly to has a supply of wine for cooking (provided it’s drinkable), but I don’t know if the cooking crowd could sustain the biz.
I kinda like the idea of getting my table wine in a growler.
I do it for my micro-brews now.
With a little consumer education, I think it could work, and have cachet, along the lines of CSA’s, farm stands and farmer’s markets.
The kegs at TWO are actually full size beer kegs that are modified for gravity flow, and they have several dozen selections. Personally, I find their system has a homogenizing effect on the flavors of the wines, but that’s me.
I’m also curious why you say Two Buck Chuck has been a mixed success? That brand sells 20 million cases a year from 40,000 acres of vineyards. I don’t much like Two Buck Chuck, but that’s a phenomenally large amount of wine.
In the short term, I would expect the 3L bag-in-box to play the role you envision. FOUR winery in Napa and Domaine Estarguez Cotes du Rhone are two examples of better quality wines that are using this format.
Matt and Wine Harlots, thanks for the comments.
“Success” was probably the wrong term to use because I was referring to the mixed comments I have received from folks over the past few years about their like/dislike of Charles Shaw wine.
However, speaking from a business perspective, it has indeed been successful supported by the figures you’ve provided here. It certainly seems this style of wine (“super-value”) is best for a bring-your-own-growler operation.
Why can’t kegs be used to transport good quality ready to drink wines to resteraunts for their by the glass programs. It is environmentaly friendly due to the elimination of packaging and more cost efficient. You are also guarantied a fresh glass. I think this could apeal to a younger market who like to sip wine but can’t afford an expensive bottle. Also why not carry a fine barrel aged wine in a keg. It would aloe these wines to be offered by the glass as the risk of wastage is lessened.
Shawn, very good questions and you make some very good points.
There are probably many factors involved namely brand and economics — if I am a high-end Napa brand, do I want my fine elixir dispensed from a lowly keg (an American culture issue)? My brand, name and label also are not sitting in front of you either like when the bottle sits on the table.
Better wine is made from better grapes from better vineyards and may age for some time which all adds up to higher costs, so can the producer make that back plus profit selling by the keg? Maybe the changing economics due to the economy will help this…I’d like to see some try though as you suggest.