Some of the biggest companies in the world have gotten their start in a garage in Northern California. Apple, Amazon and Google are the first ones that should come to mind. While nowhere near the scale of those world-changing firms, Sonoma, CA-based Free Flow Wines is providing premium wine inside reusable kegs for wine-on-tap services at hotels and resorts.
Barclay Webster, VP, business development, Free Flow Wines, shared the story of the company’s founding inside a 200-sq.-ft. garage in San Francisco in 2009.
“From the outset, our focus has been on working with premium wines, rather than compromising quality in the quest to make cheap wine cheaper, which was a common pitfall in previous attempts at wine on tap,” he said. “Initially, we set out to sell a premium wine brand available exclusively in kegs, but our founders soon recognized a bigger opportunity: to create a reusable kegging service for the wine industry as a whole. This has allowed us to have a broader impact on both wine quality and environmental sustainability.”
From a hotel’s perspective, there are four key benefits of providing wine on tap with reusable kegs vs. pouring a glass of wine from a bottle.
Using a wine-on-tap service, a hotel can take advantage of consistent pour costs. “With wine on tap, inert gas prevents oxidation, so the profitability of your wine program is no longer eroded by pouring out partially used bottles,” said Webster. “Open bottle waste can account for 10-20%—and I’ve seen it be as high as 45%—of wine purchases for by-the-glass programs.”
The service also improves operational efficiency on several levels. “Wine can be poured twice as fast from taps as from bottles, freeing up bar staff to do other things,” he noted. “Tasks like opening bottles, pretasting, restocking fridges/shelves and disposing of heavy glass packaging are eliminated, letting staff devote more time to guests and service. This often leads to more wine sales and tips, too.”
In addition to the wine saved from oxidation, providing wine from a keg also helps hotels reach their sustainability goals. “Kegged wine eliminates the need for single-use bottles, corks, screw caps, boxes, foils and labels,” said Webster. “Except for cardboard, these packaging materials aren’t recycled most of the time in the U.S. Bottles account for the largest single source of wine’s carbon footprint and are only recycled about 40% of the time.”
He added that life-cycle analyses have shown that using kegs can reduce packaging and transportation-related carbon emissions by more than 76% compared to glass bottles.
Finally, he pointed out that every glass poured from a keg is as fresh as the first, which means the bar staff don’t have to guess how long a bottle has been open.
“Guests are never put in the awkward situation of having to either complain or simply settle for a stale glass of wine,” he added. “Plus, wine draft systems typically have dual-zone refrigeration to ensure reds, whites and everything in between are poured at the ideal temperature.”
Free Flow Wines’ stainless-steel kegs can last for decades and don’t have a fixed shelf life. Webster noted the company recommends using the wine within one year if untapped and within three months once tapped, although tests have shown wines stay fresh for much longer.
“After use, empty kegs are generally collected by distributors, consolidated at their warehouse and sent back to our facility in California, where they’re cleaned and refilled,” he said.
The company partners with more than 100 wineries across most major winemaking regions worldwide. Webster explained that Free Flow Wines offers “wines ranging from $5 per bottle equivalents up to $60 or more. Our partners include both large and boutique producers, ensuring a diverse and high-quality portfolio for hospitality clients.”
Free Flow Wines works through wholesale distributors to bring the reusable kegs to hotels. Webster estimated that approximately 500 hotels nationally serve wine on tap via the company’s kegs, including The Ritz-Carlton hotels in Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale, FL, The Lodge at Pebble Beach, The Westin New Orleans and almost all of the AC hotels in the U.S.
