The Red Red Wine Bar in Annapolis, Maryland, is a sophisticated getaway from the busy tourist street. After strolling the docks and watching the boats, you will find various wine options at the Red Red Wine Bar. One you weren’t expecting is wine on tap.
But why is wine on tap, you might ask? Most people recognize beer on tap at the bar and bottle service for chilled wine beside the table. Could wine on tap be a better answer? I was impressed when the waitress brought over the cheaper, chilled, and crisper wine than the others I had sampled.
As always, there was more than what met the eye for wine on tap. The wine on tap was a new phenomenon that surprised the modern wine drinker. The benefits included waste prevention, carbon emission reduction, better taste and quality, and consumer savings.
—Kareem Massoud, winemaker, Paumanok Vineyards From Wine Enthusiast
Waste
Kegged wine saves a lot of waste. Wine on tap eliminates bottles, labels, corks, and other packaging materials. Plus, kegged wine preserves wine for longer and won’t waste bottles left open. Pourers don’t have to worry about opened wine going bad and ending up down the sink. “There is a 96% reduction in the CO2 footprint with reusable stainless-steel kegs,” said Free Flow Wines Co-Founder and CEO Jordan Kivelstadt. The stainless-steel keg can be reused repeatedly, preventing hundreds to thousands of wine packaging waste.
Quality & Freshness
Wasted wine sitting open for days isn’t the only problem with bottled wine. The freshest glasses come from a newly opened bottle. Once the bottle has been opened for days, tasters get a diminished experienced. But once the keg is tapped, “wine stays fresh up to three months.” Each pour comes from a keg environment that does not allow the wine to age.
When I received my wine from the tap in Annapolis, Maryland, the glass had seemed to be chilled at first, but it was the temperature of the wine itself. I sipped its flavor and was surprised as I thought tapped wine would provide a flat and warm experience. But the tapped wine experience was eco-friendly and crisp.
Consumer Savings
After all the savings in wasted wine, glass bottles, corks, and packaging, the consumers see the payoff. Nora O’Malley is co-founder of Lois, a New York City wine bar with full-tap operations. She explains, “Since we’re not paying for the winery’s cost in bottles, corks, labeling…I can serve the same glass of wine for $12 that might have been $15 or $16 if we were poured it from a bottle,” she says. The tapped wine on the menu at The Red Red Wine Bar was, in fact, cheaper. Once I discovered it was more eco-friendly, the decision on wine on tap seemed easy. I need more of it!
Conclusion
After a hot day in the summer heat wandering the red brick town of Annapolis, The Red Red Wine Bar was just the place to take a break and grab a drink. Little did I know, I would be surprised by their on-tap options: wine. Interested in this new idea, I tried it. Based on the price and limited knowledge, I expected worse than a bottle of wine.
But a chilled glass and eco-friendly information on the menu were all I needed for convincing. Keep a look out for this sustainable option in bars near you. Wine on Tap could be the future of sustainable wine drinking; it tastes better and costs less.