Food Arts

that kegs present a ~o to 25 percent savings in production costs over
The tap wines at Tavern at Lark Creek are driven entirely by inbottling. Coupled with the savings in transport and prevention ofloss
ert gas, as opposed to gravity, and are drafted from the same 1/6 bardue
to spoilage, cork taint, and other plagues of the bottle, Silvertap
rel, or torpedo kegs, commonly used for boutique beer. Each holds
estimates savings to the consumer at 25 to 30 percent.
just over five gallons, about 26 bottles of wine. By saving about 35
On the East Coast, Charles Bieler, a pioneer of innovative wine
percent on the purchase price, Hulihan says Lark Creek is able to
packaging behindThree Thieves Bandit wines inTetra Pak, has joined
offer glasses that sell for $13 elsewhere for just $8 or $9. Above
with Bruce Schneider ofSchneiderVineyards on Long Island to offer
all, Hulihan admires tap wine for the taste: "It has a freshness and
a Finger Lakes Riesling in a 1/6 barrel keg, available through New York
brightness that is not always apparent in the bottle, and it stays
distributor Michael Skurnik. The Riesling, dubbed Gotham Project,
that way as you serve it."
This would all be an interesting novelty, were there not wine prohas already gotten the nod from top city sommeliers, appearing at
ducers suddenly rising to the challenge and assisting restaurants in
the raucous opening of Paul Grieco's Terroir Tribeca wine bar and
sourcing and pouring keg wines. San Francisco-based Silvertap propouring at Daniel Boulud's DBGB, helmed hy Dinex Group wine
vides kegs of wine to about 25 accounts-including Annabelle's Bar
director DanielJohnnes. "'We're on the East Coast, and we're looking at local wines, but be& Bistro, Salt House,
Piatti (Roseville, CA),
ing close to Europe there
Ironside, and Fat Anis also the potential to
gel in San Franciscoimport wine and package
it 10caIly," says Bieler.
with the capahility to disA r/6 harrel of
tribute kegs of wine in IO
Gotham Project wholestates. Yet, the challenge
sales for $200, the equivto merge the disparate
worlds of beer and wine
alent of about $7.50 per
looms large. "Fine wine
bottle. Bieler also allies
with Leland Gas Techdistributors don't handle
keg beer, so they don't
nologies of New Jerknow about keg depossey to assist restaurants
its and gas and cleaning
in securing freestandthe lines. On the flip side,
ing wine taps that operbeer distributors don't
ate on tiny canisters of '
reach the top sommeliers
argon. "These are ideal
At Atlanta's TWO Urban Licks. about 90 perten! of wine sales comes from 42 wines on tap.
in the market," explains
for New York restaurants that don't have existing tap systems, or where space is simfounding partner Greg Quinn, former wine director for Indigo Restaurant and Annabelle's.
ply an issue," says Bieler. The system also appears ideally suited for
catering and off-site events. Single kegs are also an ideal vehicle
At Silvertap Quinn works in partnership with co-founder/director ofsales Dan Donahoe (owner of Sonoma County's Teira Wines),
to offer wines that are unfined and unfiltered, or those produced
co-founder/director of production Jordan Kivelstadt (ownerlwinein quantities otherwise too small to merit bottling, labeling, and
maker of Qualia Wines), consulting winemaker Bill Knuttel (winedistributio~. Restaurants may soon lure customers with exclusive
maker for Dry Creek Vineyard and Stromburg Vineyards), and vinewines, previously found only at the winery.
yard manager Duff Bevill (vineyard manager for Merry Edwards
Emily Wmes, director ofwines for Kimpton Hotels & RestauWmery). This team of industry veterans currently offers Sauvignon
rants, is adding tap wine to four Kimpton properties this summer:
Blanc Cry Creek Valley Woods Vineyard 2009, Merlot Sonoma
"We're intrigued by both the cost savings and the environmental aspects that fit really well into our EarthCare Program. Every night we
County 2007, Chardonnay Sonoma County 2008, Zinfandel Sonoma County 2006, and Cabernet Sauvignon California 2008 -all unhave all these empty glass bottles that no customer has even seen,
mostly because by-the-glass wine is so popular." SilverleafTavern
der the Silvertap label-with plans to add several more. Wholesale
prices work out to about $6 to $10 per bottle.
in New York City will offer Silvertap wines, using Pyrex lab equipSilvertap offers expertise in wine tap installations, noting some
ment as carafes to offer different volumes ofa house red and a house
fundamental differences to beer instillation. First, the beer lines rewhite. At Washington, D.C.'s Paste Moderne Brasserie, Wmes
plans to utilize a kegerator on the patio, encouraging diners to sip
quire glycol jackets to maintain the 36 degree temperature required
cool draughts of Sauvignon Blanc or lightly chilled Zinfandel. "On
for beer, whereas chilled white wines are optimally served at 40 to
our side, we're doing what we need to do to get the taps in and work
45 degrees and thus do not require jackets. Inert nitrogen or arwith the different state laws," she explains. '1\s bigger wineries come
gon is usually used in the wine kegs to prevent oxidation. And the
gas pressure is much lower; in a direct draw; where the tap comes
online, I can seeus taking this across the country. It's fun to be on the
edge, and tap wine promises to be a tsunami," says Wines.
•
directly from the keg, it can be as low as one psi. Silvertap reports
FOOD ARTS
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