out of the faucet and into the glass

One of the hot trends in the wine world is wine on tap or out of a keg. It is practically unheard of on this side of the country but some are starting to see the light because of the many benefits. Wine from kegs is more efficient than bottled wine because there is no waste and it keeps some wines fresher. There are also the numerous eco-friendly aspects to take into consideration. Once the stainless steel keg is used it can be refilled by the winery and used again. There is no longer a need for labels, bottles, boxes, corks or capsules. The shipping costs are less as well because a five gallon keg which holds 25 bottles of wine or over two cases weighs approximately 50 pounds while the average 12 bottle case of wine weighs 30 - 35 pounds per case. 

I recently installed a small brewmaster tap tower behind the bar of our flagship restaurant, The River House. The brewmaster had to be upgraded to become a winemaster because wine kegs are not exactly the same as beer kegs. I changed out the taps to stainless steel taps and changed the gas from CO2 to Nitrogen so we wouldn't have sparkling sauvignon blanc. I also added a line to the outside of the system to give us the ability to pour a red wine on tap as well. 

The man responsible for inspiring this recent addition to the Inn at Palmetto Bluff is the always charming Dan Donahoe of Teira Wines and his keg wine business called Silver Tap. Dan is joining us at Music To Your Mouth for the first time this November. He will be pouring wines from keg and bottle; I challenge you to tell the difference. We will soon be adding two other wines to the Wine Tower. Our good friend and frequent visitor Dave Miner of Miner Family Vineyards in the Napa Valley has agreed to keg his most recent vintage of Chardonnay for our system. Lastly, we are adding an Anderson Valley Pinot Noir from one of Palmetto Bluff's favorite wineries, Lioco Wines. 

Join us prior to the Music To Your Mouth food and wine festival for a taste from the tap, the River House is open nightly.