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WI n EM ak I n G Rolling Out the kegs Restaurants increasingly tap advantages while working out bugs By Paul Franson John Hulihan brought keg wine to the Tavern at Lark Creek (above), saying, "I wanted to have great value and over deliver." rant leads to oxidation and worse. In the 1970s Anheuser Busch was ahead of its time by selling modern keg wine in steel containers under the Master Cellars name, but poor execution and low-quality wine doomed the effort. Inglenook also tried, but most producers settled for low- end wine in 20-liter bladders. However, wine in non-wooden kegs has many advantages including cost and envi- ronmental benefits, so a growing number s Front and Back! erving from a keg is one of the oldest ways to deliver wine, but it's obvious that draw- ing wine from a traditional wooden keg—even a small one—to fill glasses in a restau- of restaurants and bars are now getting steel and plastic kegs from wineries. At least two companies have been created to tap into the potentially big market. A winery in the Veneto region of Italy, for example, sells more than a half-million case equivalents per year on tap. The advantages are clear: • Reduced packaging cost • Reduced cost to the consumer • Low oxidation and spoilage • Lower shipping weight • Reduced carbon shipping footprint • No waste at the end of a bottle Today's keg-wine suppliers typically use 20-liter stainless-steel soda syrup contain- ers, but some use plastic resin containers, The original, BOTTLE-MATIC-II 3 YEAR WARRANTY INCLUDED $1800 for Wines & Vines Readers! Front & Back! Label any cylindrical container fast and accurately from ½" to 21 day trial MADE IN USA! DISPENSA-MATIC Label Dispensers 34 Wines & Vines MARCH 201 1 8" diameter, @ Speeds of 1200 Pcs. per hour. NOT A CHEAP, IMPORTED KNOCK-OFF! Wasting Time Labeling by Hand! STOP FAX:(573) 392-1757; E-mail: info@dispensamatic.com Web: http://www.bottle-labeler.com 28220 Playmor Beach Rd, Rocky Mount, MO 65072 Call Toll Free: 1 (800) 325-7303 or (573) 392-7684 Price subject to change without notice. 2/01/10 JOHN A. BENSON