Keg Wine
Artisan’s Cellar played a key role in bringing wine on tap to Pennsylvania, winning the ability to sell kegs from around the world via the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s Special Liquor Order (SLO) program. Believing keg wine will parallel the success of the craft beer industry, Artisan’s invested in a 16,000-square-feet, state-of-the-art distribution facility and licensed winery operation to fill kegs and other formats from bulk wine, much of it produced by the same artisanal winemakers as the bottled wines we sell.
Wine on tap is relatively new to Pennsylvania and the East Coast, but it’s been popular in Europe for over 20 years and caught on in California around 2005. Jim Neal, of N2 Wines in Napa Valley, pioneered keg filling in the US and is considered the “guru” of tap wine in the country today. N2 served as the model for Artisan’s winery operation and continues to be a source for several of our keg labels.
Artisan’s Cellar now imports bulk wine directly from our winemakers in Italy, France, Austria, and other countries, as well as producers in the United States. We’ll soon be the largest keg operation on the East Coast, yet our focus remains the same. Like our bottle and case wines, we’re committed to providing high-quality keg wines from small producers who care about their soil and the environment. The wines they craft are fresh, interesting, and enjoyable to drink… one glass after another.
Artisan’s Cellar now imports bulk wine directly from our winemakers in Italy, France, Austria, and other countries, including the US. We’ll soon be the largest keg operation on the East Coast, yet our focus remains the same. Like our bottle and case wines, we’re committed to providing high-quality keg wines from small producers who care about their soil and the environment. The wines they craft are fresh, interesting, and enjoyable to drink… one glass after another.
Forever Growing
We’ll soon be the largest keg operation on the East Coast, yet our focus remains the same. Like our bottle and case wines, we’re committed to providing high-quality keg wines from small producers who care about their soil and the environment. The wines they craft are fresh, interesting, and enjoyable to drink...one glass after another. Cheers!
-
$938Customer's average profit per keg
-
26Bottles per keg
-
132Glasses per keg
-
100%Reusable and recyclable
-
26Weeks of freshness
Forever Growing
We’ll soon be the largest keg operation on the East Coast, yet our focus remains the same. Like our bottle and case wines, we’re committed to providing high-quality keg wines from small producers who care about their soil and the environment. The wines they craft are fresh, interesting, and enjoyable to drink...one glass after another. Cheers!
The Process
Vineyard
Many of Artisan’s keg wines are produced by the same winemakers who grow the grapes and create the bottled wines we sell, and they harvest and vinify the bulk wine in the same manner. Instead of filling bottles, the wine is packaged in safe, 1,000-liter Bag-in-Box containment vessels for overseas transport.
Transport
The wine is shipped in temp-controlled containers aboard cargo ships and delivered to Artisan’s Cellar. We assess the impact of the voyage through careful analysis to insure the wine is in the same condition as when it left the winery. The wine continues to be stored in our temp-controlled facility until packaging.
Keg
Kegs, often called “Sixtels” (1/6 barrels), have 19.5-liter capacity for stainless steel kegs and 20-liter for PET or plastic kegs. Most use the standard Sankey-D coupler. We sanitize and fill kegs using state-of-the-art equipment, and filled kegs continue to be stored in our temp-controlled facility at 55°F until delivery.
Tap
Wine is dispensed from self-contained Kegerators and remote, glycol-cooled systems similar to those for beer, although the faucets, couplers, and tubing are slightly different, as wine has higher acidity. Ideal temperatures are maintained for white and red wines to assure the freshest, most enjoyable flavor and experience.
Vineyard
Many of Artisan’s keg wines are produced by the same winemakers who grow the grapes and create the bottled wines we sell, and they harvest and vinify the bulk wine in the same manner. Instead of filling bottles, the wine is packaged in safe, 1,000-liter Bag-in-Box containment vessels for overseas transport.
Transport
The wine is shipped in temp-controlled containers aboard cargo ships and delivered to Artisan’s Cellar. We assess the impact of the voyage through careful analysis to insure the wine is in the same condition as when it left the winery. The wine continues to be stored in our temp-controlled facility until packaging.
Keg
Kegs, often called “Sixtels” (1/6 barrels), have 19.5-liter capacity for stainless steel kegs and 20-liter for PET or plastic kegs. Most use the standard Sankey-D coupler. We sanitize and fill kegs using state-of-the-art equipment, and filled kegs continue to be stored in our temp-controlled facility at 55°F until delivery.
Tap
Wine is dispensed from self-contained Kegerators and remote, glycol-cooled systems similar to those for beer, although the faucets, couplers, and tubing are slightly different, as wine has higher acidity. Ideal temperatures are maintained for white and red wines to assure the freshest, most enjoyable flavor and experience.
Did You Know...
Why Tap Wine?
Better Quality
Wine remains fresh from the first glass to the last, with no degradation in open bottles.
Economics
Provides restaurateurs significant savings for by-the-glass pours.
Maximum Yield With No Waste
No dumping bottles that have lost their ideal aroma and flavor from oxidation.
Convenience
Easy to handle and store. No bottles to open repeatedly.
Better By-The-Glass Wines
Restaurateurs can invest in higher-quality wines, pleasing customers, and increasing sales volume.
Waste is Eliminated
Restaurateurs can invest in higher-quality wines, pleasing customers, and increasing sales volume.
Ecological Benefits
Each re-useable keg saves 26 bottles, corks, and capsules; 52 labels; and 2+ boxes, often destined for landfills.
Economic Justification
We’ll use an average keg price of $250, a $9 sell price per glass, with 2 kegs sold per week for our calculation. A 4-keg / tap Kegerator costs $3,500 and $5,500 for a remote tap system on average, installed.
Many of our kegs are currently priced from $200 to $300 (PA Licensee) so we’ll use $250 per keg for our calculation, and $9.00 for an average restaurant selling price per glass. We’ll assume 2 kegs sold per week, and use $3,500 as the cost for a 4 keg / tap Kegerator and $5,500 for a remote glycol system installed.
Cost of keg = $250 ÷ 132 5 oz. glasses per keg = $1.89 per glass (or $9.62 per bottle)
$9.00 per glass – cost per glass x 132 glasses per keg = $938 profit per keg (x 2 per week)
Time to pay off a Kegerator is 2 weeks, and 3 weeks for a remote, glycol tap system.
Are All Keg Wines The Same?
No! Just like bottled wine, the quality, taste, and longevity of keg wine can vary considerably.
The majority of Artisan’s keg wines come from the same responsible producers who craft the bottled wines in our portfolio.
There are an increasing number of kegs on the market today and just like bottled wine, the quality and taste of keg wine varies.
The selection of single and blended varietals is key to ensuring fresh and exciting flavor profiles.
Not all wines are ideal for kegging. It’s uncommon for wine that’s been aged for a long time in wooden barrels to be put back into stainless steel kegs.
Keg wines often come directly from a winery’s stainless fermenting / aging tanks to a bladder for transit, then placed into kegs.
Ecological Benefits
Each re-useable keg saves 26 bottles, corks, and capsules; 52 labels; and 2+ boxes, often destined for landfills.