I’m not going to lie, wine is not my expertise, but this is a cool story. Wine is a major part of our world, and it would be helpful if we could green it up a bit. The folks over at Micro Matic seem to have a solution — wine on tap.
From what I hear, this is actually not too uncommon in Europe,… but it’s almost unheard of in the US. However, Micro Matic is looking to change that.
Switching to the Tap is Green
You might be wondering why wine on tap is greener. So, let’s take a look at why that is, and crunch some numbers.
Quite simply, bottled wine requires a ton of bottles. And labels. And corks, boxes, and pallets. Meanwhile, one keg can last over 20 years.
Here are some big numbers from our friends over at Triple Pundit: “wines sold by the glass account for up to 80% of wine sold in restaurants, which equates to approximately 600 million bottles per year. If 10% of that was served from a keg, that would save 60 million bottles yearly. Since only about 27% of glass is recovered for recycling, this would divert millions of bottles from landfills.” Impressive.
But that’s not all. A major portion of the environmental footprint of wine is in its transport — ⅓ to ½ of it. And consider how much of that is due to the heavy glass surrounding each small portion of liquid.
All in all, wineries that switch to kegs see savings of 25-30%. And restaurants that switch to serving wine on tap see profit margins improve by up to about 25%. That’s all, of course, a reflection of the environmental savings. Resource and transportation efficiency cuts waste, cuts emissions, and saves money.
Apparently, putting the wine in kegs instead of bottles is also better for the wine. Kegs preserve the wine much better.
Where Does Micro Matic Come In?
So, what is Micro Matic, and where does it fit into this story?
Micro Matic offers a whole variety of equipment for wine on tap. Kegs, wine fonts, faucets and handles, wine shanks, wine keg couplers, and so on.
From the page linked above, the company writes: “We pride ourselves on being pioneers in the wine on tap and wine in a keg industry. At Micro Matic, our slogan is ‘Wine On Tap: Consistency in every glass.’ Our extensive knowledge and background has allowed us to become industry leaders and provide commercial outlets with the best draft wine systems available.”
On that page, you can also find “recommendations for the best way to dispense wine on tap and fully enjoy your draft wine system.”
Conclusion: Wine on Tap is a Win-Win-Win
So, let’s see, wine on tap is better for the environment (and, thus, society as a whole), better for the wine industry (saves money and improves profit margins), and is better for the customer. Hopefully, it won’t take long before others jump on the wine on tap bandwagon Micro Matic is driving.
Image Credit: Micro Matic