Wine packers such as Sonoma-based Free Flow Wines are taking advantage of the
reduced stigma of stainless steel-bound wine, along with increased ambitions from
winemakers to reduce their packaging footprint.
Not so long ago, many wine lovers would have looked down their noses at any
vintage that didn’t come from a heavy, corked, glass bottle. But in recent
years, casual wine drinkers have become more open to other vessels — such as
cans,
boxes
and screw-top
bottles,
which used to convey lower-quality wine, as well as lighter-weight
glass
and even plastic
bottles
— especially as the sustainability benefits of these alternatives has become
more apparent.
And the rising popularity of wine in these formats, especially in the low- and
mid-range markets, opened the door for an emergence of wine’s current trend:
grapes on tap.
Kegged wine is primarily an on-premise growth point, supported by wine-packing
companies such as Sonoma, Calif.-based Free Flow
Wines.
The company began in 2009, just as canned wine was emerging from
producers such as Oregon’s Underwood / Union Wine
Co. and the national House
Wine. The main environmental
benefit is that wine in kegs reduces the need for glass (both in energy and
spaces) and that the stainless-steel kegs Free Flow uses have a much longer
operational life than glass.
The general math here is that one keg equals 26 bottles; and when stacked up, a
user could fit 35 percent more wine in the same space compared to glass. The
company completed a lifecycle assessment showing a potential 76 percent
reduction in CO2 emissions compared to glass — largely due to the energy savings
from steel compared to glass — and decreased energy required for transportation.
The wine also tends to stay fresher for longer.
“What’s attractive for more expensive wines is that you can almost completely
eliminate any wastage due to oxidation, with typically only 5-8 ounces of annual waste for line cleaning,” Free Flow VP of business development &
trade Barclay Webster told Sustainable
Brands® (SB).
Free Flow has since grown to work with more than 120 winery partners and kegs
more than 225 individual SKUs, including nine labels from Sonoma-area winery
Martin Ray under its namesake and Angeline
Vineyards brands. The winery has
been working with Free Flow for over a decade and is now the company’s
fourth-largest partner by volume.
“Them being so close to us is perfect for our supply chain,” says Carson
Benham, director of
national accounts for the Martin Ray-Angeline-Synthesis wine portfolio.
Free Flow is Martin Ray’s first and only keg partner, and Benham says the
partnership has saved them from using more than 1.4 million glass bottles over
the duration of their relationship so far.
“Our team saw more and more restaurants adopting wine on tap, and now we’re
offering all major varietals on tap,” he adds.
The only challenge Benham noted is that the sanitizing and refilling turnaround
of the keg system is a bit longer than traditional glass, so it requires better
demand planning.
“It’s not a bad thing — it just takes a bit of extra time and planning on our
end,” he says. “It's just a sacrifice for doing something that’s a bit better
for the environment.”
Smaller wineries can play ball, as well. Most wineries can purchase an
affordable adapter that will link up to their existing hoses, making the kegging
process almost seamless. It allows low-volume producers to experiment before
switching to higher runs.
The value add for a group such as Martin Ray is Free Flow’s internal business
development team, who promotes the virtues of wine on tap to a wider range of
on-premise accounts such as hotels and large-volume restaurants.
One of those larger accounts is Sixty Vines — a
nine-location (its tenth will open next month) casual eatery chain that focuses
on wine on tap. Free Flow is the exclusive supplier of Sixty Vines’
stainless-steel kegs; according to CEO Jeff
Carcara,
the chain purchased more than 8,000 kegs last year. It’s Free Flow’s largest
account group by volume.
“Beyond savings and positive Earth impact, (kegs) also allow us to serve
incredible wines at the highest quality and ideal temperature with every glass
we pour,” Carcara tells SB.
He adds that the chain has a vision to “reimagine wine culture;” and,
conceivably, kegged wine is one way to do that — especially with more partners
linking up with companies such as Free Flow.
Webster notes that there still is some stigma around wine not poured from glass;
but in the on-premise space, kegged wine improves service times and allows for a
longer potential sell-through of a particular wine since it’s not spoiling as
fast.
In addition to the Sonoma facility, Free Flow has a smaller building in New
Jersey that serves east-coast accounts and kegs some international wines.
Webster says overall it can keep the distance most of the kegs will travel to
1,200 miles or under.
Once the kegs are empty, the distributor will pick them up and return them to
Free Flow for sanitizing; then, they’ll be put back into service. It ends up
being a much less wasteful and more productive reuse cycle compared to glass.
Looking ahead, the ceiling for kegged wine might be limitless, especially
considering the loosening of the perception issue. Free Flow already has wines
in each Ritz-Carlton in Florida and in almost every AC Hotel (both
Marriott brands). More wineries are coming around to the idea of a future
where they swap out glass for more stainless steel.
“It’s as close to drinking from the barrel as you’ll find on premise,” Carcara
says.
Published Apr 4, 2024 8am EDT / 5am PDT / 1pm BST / 2pm CEST
Sustainable Brands Staff