# Wine on Tap



## Abby (Apr 12, 2007)

I wound up on a emailing list from a brewshop down in Halifax. I stopped in there just to see what they have in stock, and I noticed this system of wine storage: http://www.noblegrape.ca/wine/wine_ontap.htm

Has anyone here used it? If so, what do you think of it; good, bad, or indifferent?


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## cpfan (Apr 12, 2007)

Depends on your circumstances Abby.

Do you live in a motor home? If yes, these are great, no longer have to worry about carting bottles back & forth.

Do you have a fridge in the garage? If so, keep a nice white or mist wine in a bag in the fridge. Need a quick pick-me-up after some time in the garden? Big glass, ice cubes, wine.

I'm sure there are other situations that work.

In my store, the Wine-on-Tap is a bit over priced. There is another bag that holds about 5 litres that is cheaper, but down't come with a nice pail.

BTW, the Wine-on-Tap has been on the market 3-4 years.

Steve

Steve


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## Abby (Apr 12, 2007)

Thanks, Steve

I didn't think it was a new idea, but I am the new one to wine making  And I was just curious about what others thought of the concept whether it was "wine on tap" or something similar.

I am the wine drinker in my household. My Hubby brews beer, and red wine gives him migraines. There are times when I want just one glass of wine, and I don't like the idea of opening a whole bottle for one glass. After all, air and wine are not friends.

Abby


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## cpfan (Apr 13, 2007)

In that case get a Vacu Vin pump (or one of the similar products). It removes the air from an open bottle. IMHO works great. We've usually got a few stoppers in use at any one time. Look here for details...

http://www.vacuvin.nl/Vacuum_Wine_Saver_215.html

They are sold in gift shops, grocery stores, and some wineries. And even Wine Making supply shops, like mine.

Steve


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## ttalsma (Apr 13, 2007)

Abby said:


> Thanks, Steve
> 
> I didn't think it was a new idea, but I am the new one to wine making  And I was just curious about what others thought of the concept whether it was "wine on tap" or something similar.
> 
> ...



How about bottling into smaller bottles? You could do 375ml or even the smaller bottles and make single or double glass servings of the wine. It would be a pain to store, but it is an option!


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## cpfan (Apr 13, 2007)

Todd:

Other than the fact that 375ml bottles tend to be a bit expensive, that's a great suggestion. One of my friends will bottle a batch in 1.5 litre 'dinner party' bottles, 375ml 'home alone' bottles, and most in 750ml bottles.

The advantage of the vacuum pumps is that it works on any size bottle, homemade or commercial.

Steve


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## Abby (Apr 14, 2007)

Thanks, but I really don't think that smaller bottles is the answer for me, though it is tempting. Splits (half bottles from my waiter days) are just about non-existent around here, and would likely be very expensive,

I think I will give the vacuum pump a try. 

Abby


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## cpfan (Apr 14, 2007)

A good wine making store will be able to get you a case of 24 375s, in clear or green. Spagnols & Vineco both distribute them in BC.

Steve


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## Abby (Apr 14, 2007)

What form of closure would be used on the small bottles? A regular cork, cap like beer, or are they screw cap?

Abby


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## cpfan (Apr 14, 2007)

The bottles I am referring to are standard wine bottles and take standard corks. Some say they need #8 corks, I've had no problem with #9s. Here's a picture beside a standard bottle.

Steve


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## Luc (Apr 15, 2007)

Abby said:


> Thanks, Steve
> 
> I didn't think it was a new idea, but I am the new one to wine making  And I was just curious about what others thought of the concept whether it was "wine on tap" or something similar.
> 
> ...



Abby,

There is a similar system called bag-in-a-box.

It is a plastic bag with a tap on it that you can fill with
your racking hose. Then you put a carton box around it.

It is not as attractive as the wine on tap, but it will not cost you a bundle.
I bought several of them in 3 and in 5 liter bags. They cost a few euro's over
here and will not cost you an arm and a leg over there.

The nice part is you can sanitise them and reuse them  
Hey I am Dutch  

Luc


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## Abby (Apr 15, 2007)

Luc said:


> Abby,
> 
> There is a similar system called bag-in-a-box.
> 
> ...



I've gotten a lot of good ideas, from the vacuvin, to the smaller bottles, to the system that you have just mentioned.

I have got nothing against saving a euro or two, or in my case a "loonie" 
That being just one of the reasons why I have embarked on wine making. For the price of about 4- 6 bottles of reasonable wine in these parts, I can get a reasonable kit. (not to mention I truly enjoy the process of making wine). Which is why, though I believe I will invest in a vacuvin, the "bag in a bottle" concept still interests me. I believe that I will look into the concept further. 

As for being Dutch, so is my husband's Daugher in Law, (they live near Cologne) she was wondering why the Dutch had a reputation for being "cheap". I explained to her, it was not "cheap" it was "thrift" namely being careful with, and getting the best value for one's euro. 

Abby


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## Luc (Apr 15, 2007)

If cheap was the magic word over here I would buy my wine in the shops.

I think I spend over 1800 Euro's (that's almost the same in dollars) on this hobby
for about 730 bottles of wine. That is about 2.40 euro per bottle.

I can buy a decent bottle of wine in the shops for 1.40 euro (trust me I did buy a few of them).

The difference is that I personally think there is not one french wine that
can beat my elderberry wine. But then of course that is personal taste.

Luc


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## Abby (Apr 15, 2007)

Luc said:


> If cheap was the magic word over here I would buy my wine in the shops.
> 
> I think I spend over 1800 Euro's (that's almost the same in dollars) on this hobby
> for about 730 bottles of wine. That is about 2.40 euro per bottle.
> ...



A decent one around here would begin at around 8 euro according to the current exchange rates.

but I do understand where you are coming from: I do a lot of my home preserving - things like jam, jellies. fruit butters (the old fashioned way, with no added pectin and less sugar. As well, as thing such as tomato sauce, and things of that nature

Now, it is doubtful whether that are actually any great savings after you factor in the energy used, not to mention the time (it is very labour intensive), but it is a labour of love. Also, I have the satisfaction of knowing that I make a better, more flavourful product than is available in any store.

Abby


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## mew (May 1, 2007)

You could get a kegerator and a nitrogen dispensing system. More $$$ but much more reliable.


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## Driftless Brewer (May 3, 2007)

I've been brewing beer for a few years now, so when I thought about making wine one of the first things that I wondered was if I could conceivably put a keg of wine on tap in my keggorator. The only way I could imagine that it would work is by adding just a little shot of CO2 to get just enough pressure to serve with. Then, enjoy the wine until it will no longer dispense and then give it another shot of CO2.

But I think this method would ultimately not work because even with that ever so small amount of pressure, over time, the CO2 would absorb and therefore, over time, you would end up this carbonated wine  

Oh well, the plastic bag idea is way less expensive and gets around the carbonation issue.

MEW, why did you suggest nitrogen?


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## Caplan (May 3, 2007)

The main reason apparently is CO2 at low levels (and in low temps) can be absorbed into the wine to make an unwanted 'sparkle' - Nitrogen used for serving pressure in a similar set up (with say corny kegs) doesn't. 
I only use a 70% nitrogen/30% CO2 mixed gas for my kegged 'low carbonation' British Ales - I've never kegged a wine so can't varify if this is true.


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## lockwood1956 (May 3, 2007)

Luc said:


> The difference is that I personally think there is not one french wine that
> can beat my elderberry wine. But then of course that is personal taste.
> 
> Luc




well Luc....as you are probably aware, some of the very famous French chateaux producing claret, add elderberries to their cab/merlot merlot/cab blends.....and the main reason it doesn't taste as good as yours?

it doesn't have as many elderberries in it!


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## Abby (May 4, 2007)

The kegerator. while a good idea, is I think for my needs, kind of like shooting sparrows with a 20mm cannon. I will try the simple method first and see what happens from there.


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## afreeve (Nov 25, 2008)

I have been trying to find some 5 litre bags....appreciate any advice on where I can find them. I am in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Fermtech is right in Kitchener, but they only seem to have their 8 litre bags. I started using my own system years ago, but designed my system to accommodate the smaller bags. Thanks,


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## cpfan (Nov 25, 2008)

afreeve said:


> I have been trying to find some 5 litre bags....appreciate any advice on where I can find them. I am in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Fermtech is right in Kitchener, but they only seem to have their 8 litre bags. I started using my own system years ago, but designed my system to accommodate the smaller bags. Thanks,


Talk to an RJ Spagnols retailer and ask for Wine Waiter Bags (should still be item #23894). Might only be 4 litre.

ABC Cork is another distributor that carried these bags but I don't have the details.

Good luck finding a co-operative RJS dealer, my local one in Welland wouldn't order a kit for me.

Steve


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## afreeve (Nov 26, 2008)

I must say that it seems ridiculous to me that, while RJS still has the big warehouse in Kitchener (which is about a 3 minute drive for me) I buy my kits from a store in Hanmer (15 minutes north of Sudbury) because they are so good to deal with. To be fair, though, I have recently had some dealings with a place in Waterloo (Mr Beer & Wine U Brew)....these guys seem pretty easy to deal with also.


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## cpfan (Nov 26, 2008)

Well I don't think that it is RJS' fault. Just some retailers who don't want business from home wine makers. In my case, that may mean that I buy even more Vineco kits (their warehouse store is about 20 minutes away in St Catharines). There is a Winexpert dealer near here who seems OK to deal with. We'll see for sure when the Limited Editions I ordered arrive in January.

At the moment I have 5 kits on the go - 4 from Vineco and 1 from RJS.

BTW, I'm surprised RJS has a warehouse in Kitchener. They also have one in Mississauga.

Steve


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## afreeve (Nov 26, 2008)

I didn't mean to suggest it was an RJS problem....but I run my own small business and I don't understand why these retailers wouldn't try their best to accommodate all of their customers.

The Kitchener warehouse dates back to RJ Grape, which was a Kitchener based company until they were bought out by Spagnalls about six years ago, which then took the name RJ Spagnalls. Andrew


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## cpfan (Nov 26, 2008)

afreeve said:


> I didn't mean to suggest it was an RJS problem....but I run my own small business and I don't understand why these retailers wouldn't try their best to accommodate all of their customers.



Agree whole heartedly. I don't see why anybody turns down business. In my case adding a couple of kits to their next order seems pretty simple. And as a former RJS retailer, let me say that it is damn simple.

Steve


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## twissty (Nov 29, 2008)

ABC cork has wine dispenser bag in box units listed in 5 and 20 litre sizes. 
I Don't know if i'd trust it to keep 20 litres of wine though.


http://www.abccork.com/CAStore/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=23

I've got an account with them, but winemaking supplies is a very small part of my business, and I only order from them 2-3 times a year. Special orders are pretty difficult for us. If we dont make a minimum, then the freight is a killer.


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