Roberson Wine showing wine-on-tap range at LWF

By Arabella Mileham

Published: 21 April, 2015

Roberson Wine is showcasing its new wine-on-tap range at the London Wine Fair which it launched into the on-trade last summer.

The 20-strong range will be on show at the London Wine Fair next month and comprises single varietals and blends from France, Italy, Spain and California, including Broc Cellars Carignan, Copain Syrah, Wind Gap Trousseau Gris and Jackhammer Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

It is planning to extend the range with an Argentinean Malbec, a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and an Austrian Gruner Veltliner in the next few months.

Roberson says the aim is to maintain a broad and exciting range of wines which would enable it to offer ifs customers different wine lists. "The main point of the project is to get quality wines into keg, and change people's perceptions of wine on tap," Adam Green, Roberson's Business Development Director said.

He added that it offered a cost-efficient solution for kegging wine that enabled the company to invest in the wine itself. Customers are expected to save approximately 15% buying a wine in keg compared to the same wine in a bottle, Roberson said.

The company has already installed the lines into Goodman Group's new seafood restaurant Rex & Mariano, Soho's Blacklock and the Gaucho's sister restaurant, Cau and it is set to be see it installed at D&D Group's Avenue, and the new Burger and Lobster restaurant in Threadneedle in May.

Roberson's senior buyer Mark Andrew said the USA had embraced the trend. "It's something that some of the most innovative bars and restaurants have incorporated into their offer, and I knew it was something that we had to bring to the UK," he said.

"The winemakers that we work with absolutely love this format. It's so easy for them to do in the winery, it eliminates so much waste, and at the end of the day, the wines tastes exactly the way they want it to by the time the customer gets it in their glass - as fresh as when it left the winery and served at the perfect temperature every time."

It is working with Petainer who supply the 20L PET kegs for the wine to be stored in. Each keg holds the equivalent of nearly 27 x 75cl bottles of wine and has a shelf-life of 9-12 months.

The move follows on-trade specialist Bibendum PLB who launched a range of wines on tap last month in a bid to tap into growing demand from casual dining. Jascots also launched its own brand of Italian sparkling wine on tap last month.

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