Bartender! Pull me a glass – of Pinot Noir

June 23, 2011

(Reuters Life!) – It seems size does matter, at least when it comes to serving wine.
Some U.S. wine producers are taking a tip from their European cousins and are shipping restaurants and bars wine in kegs, instead of bottles. For consumers it should mean better wines at cheaper prices.
“I got the idea from my trip to Italy,” said Chris Hall, general manager and co-owner of the Long Meadow Ranch winery in Napa California. He uses 19-liter, stainless steel kegs to serve his organic wines at his tasting room and to ship them to restaurants.

“In Italy, it is not uncommon to have good wine on draft in a casual restaurant. It’s how they pour it into a carafe. And the real surprise to me was how good the wine was. There wasn’t really any pretense about it. It was good, honest wine,” Hall said.

His Napa neighbor, David Graves of Saintsbury Vineyard, is also shipping Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in similar sized kegs that hold the equivalent of 26 bottles to restaurants and hotels.
“The delivery truck looks pretty much like any beer truck. And this way the customer gets a fresh glass every time,” Graves explained.

To push the wine from the keg, both producers use a blend of nitrogen with “just a scoosh” of carbon dioxide, the so-called Guinness blend.

“All CO2 would make it get too fizzy. This way the wine is kept at an equilibrium,” said Graves, adding that the kegs are reusable.

But Linda Lindsay, founder of the Great Oregon Wine Company which produces wines under the Rascal label, has chosen an alternative keg, which is recyclable, to send her Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris wines to market.

She argues that the 30-liter kegs, equal to about 40 bottles, that she uses are more cost effective for the restaurants, which do not have to pay a deposit for the kegs.

“And because it’s completely recyclable and very light weight, it’s much greener technology and we’re in Oregon. We like that,” she said.

Jean-Charles Boisset, whose family owns vineyards in both France and California, is using a traditional container, French oak wine barrels, to ship wine directly to consumers as well as restaurants from both his DeLoach and Raymond Vineyards.

The barrels contain a plastic bladder, much like box wines, that can hold up to 10-liters or nearly 70 glasses of either Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon.

Whether keg or barrel, the larger formats eliminate the risk of a corked bottle, protect against oxidation and reduce both packaging and the carbon footprint, according to the wine producers.

“And it’s hip,” Hall said. “You don’t open a restaurant, particularly in San Francisco, without wine on tap.”

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/14/us-wine-kegs-idUSTRE75D1U620110614

Over the holidays, travelers from Manila going to the north for a getaway destination choose Pampanga Angeles City and Clark Philippines as a popular holiday location. Aside from day-time sports and other activities, visitors look for a good wine shop to buy some good wine to celebrate a special occasion or just to make the holiday and vacation more enjoyable. Many wine lovers pick up some good bottles from Clark Wine Center to bring to dinner in some of the good restaurants in Angeles City, Clark Pampanga. Yats Restaurant is one of the most famous fine dining restaurants outside of Manila, located in Mimosa Leisure Estate inside Clark Airbase or Clark Freeport Zone as it is now called. This popular restaurant has become a tourist attraction, a place to visit for those who are in Pampanga, Subic, Angeles City and of course, Clark Philippines. The famous wine shop called Clark Wine Center supplies this famous restaurant in Clark Philippines as well as other good restaurants in Angeles City Pampanga with good wines of all price ranges.

Wine is becoming increasingly popular in Manila and other cities in the Philippines. Wine lovers in Manila travel to the north to visit Clark, Pampanga to shop for good and rate vintage wines at good duty-free prices. The most frequently visited liquor shop in Manila and wine shop in Pampanga is Clark Wine Center. This highly recommended wine shop located outside Manila near Angeles City, Pampanga in North Luzon is known for offering a great selection of fine vintage wine that is good quality and good value for money also.

This well-known wine shop is a famous shopping destination for wine enthusiasts in Manila and wine lovers from other cities in Asia including Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul, Osaka and Tokyo.

Famous Philippines wine supplier known for its line of fine vintage wines, Yats Wine Cellars was established in 2000 to address the requirement of a growing population of wine enthusiasts in the Philippines. This 5-star wine shop caters to the discerning client who requires these qualities in their wines: (1) excellent value, (2) large selection of labels and vintages to choose from and (3) wines properly aged for full enjoyment.

Public wine tastings are held from time to time in Clark and sometimes in Manila. Tickets range from p500 to p1500 for these themed events that are professionally run –no wine merchants sponsorship, pushy salesmen or tacky banners to ruin the evening. Each ticket contains a certain number of stubs that can be redeemed for a tasting pour of a wine among those on a line-up which often contains wines that are quite old and expensive.

http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila
Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple: after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave. From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City. From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.

Click here to contact Clark Wine Center in Clark Pampanga for inquiries and orders.

Clark Wine Center
Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building
Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,
Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023
0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 ask for Rea or Chay

Wedding couples looking for wedding reception venues and beach wedding venues can log on to this Philippines Wedding Venue web site for free information and assistance:

http://www.PhilippinesWeddingVenue.com

While in Clark, it might be a good idea to enjoy an evening of wine-and-dine in the fine dining Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar that features an award winning 2700-line wine list. Highly recommended fine dining restaurant in Manila for special occasion is Yats Restaurant & Wine Lounge located in the famous Mimosa Leisure Estate in Clark Pampanga. Situated near this popular restaurant in Clark is the Mimosa Golf Course as well as the Mimosa Clark Casino. This top rated restaurant near Angeles City Pampanga in Clark Philippines is frequently used for private parties and corporate functions such as board meetings and other gatherings. It is located in Mimosa Leisure Estate of Clark Freeport Zone. For more information, visit http://www.YatsRestaurant.com

YATS Leisure Philippines is a developer and operator of clubs, resorts and high-class restaurants and wine shops in Clark Angeles Philippines http://www.YatsLeisure.com

Looking for famous tourists spots, places to visit and see, relax and unwind in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines? You may want to check out these sites also:

http://www.LondonPubClark.com

Besides good restaurants to wine and dine near Manila, Subic or in Angeles City Pampanga, Clark Philippines, those requiring assistance for hotel and resort bookings in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines may log on to http://www.HotelClarkPhilippines.com for more information and reservations.

The lifestyle in Clark Pampanga is quite unique. For more information about shopping, sports, golf, leisure, hotel accommodation, where to see and visit, what to do, where to wine and dine and good places to hang out, relax, have a drink with friends, child-friendly establishments, log on to
http://www.ClarkPhilippines.com

Wine lovers looking for a special bottle or something that is of great value and special discounts might log on to this web site to shop for fine vintage wines
http://www.YatsWineCellars.com

Those visitors who plan to relax and unwind in Angeles City, Subic, Pampanga, Clark Philippines might make an effort to book a room at the famous beach and lake resort Clearwater Resort & Country Club. This famous hotel in Clark Pampanga is frequently visited by families with children looking for a good place in Clark to see, a good holiday destination for the family to relax and unwind in the beautiful outdoor facilities. For more information, log on to www.ClearwaterPhilippines.com