In fact, if most people were to walk into their favorite bar or restaurant and notice their wine was being served through a tube, they would do a double-take. However, an increasing number of luxury restaurants and bars across the U.S. are jumping on the trend, and for good reason: Wine on tap is eco-friendly, cost-effective, and maintains the flavor and integrity of the wine to a pitch-perfect degree.

Four Essential Elements of Serving Excellent Wine on Tap

If you’re considering this trend, keep the following elements in mind:

1. Storage Temperature

The storage temperature of your kegged wine should be about 55 degrees fahrenheit, with a minimum temperature of 40 degrees F and a maximum up 75 degrees F. Since the keg is less susceptible to variations in temperature and the high volume of the liquid can withstand temperature fluctuations, the range here is a bit larger than the range for traditionally stored wine. The same storage temperature applies for both red and white wines.

2. Serving Temperature

There’s a pretty major difference between the serving temperature of white wine on tap versus red. Reds can be served at temperatures ranging from 55 to 65 degrees fahrenheit. For wine wines, aim for a chilly 40 to 45 degrees fahrenheit.

3. Gas Type

Although you can use either nitrogen or argon for wine on tap, most people recommend nitrogen. The ideal blend is about 75% nitrogen and 25% carbon dioxide, and it also happens to be readily available. Guinness, a staple in many restaurants and bars, uses this blend too.

4. Equipment

A high-grade stainless steel dispenser (304 or better) is imperative, since a lower grade will taint the flavor of the wine. Fortunately, since stainless steel is an increasingly popular choice from fermentation to storage, finding the right dispenser for your wine on tap is easier than ever. For your tubing, consider Barriermaster Flavourlock, which prevents oxygen permeation and therefore changes in flavor.

—Meg Northrup is a writer and wine connoisseur who works for Micromatic.com, a leader in the wine on tap trend

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I can’t begin to tell you how many years I have had a prejudice against Chilean wines. Each time I tried one, I was unimpressed–or worse, ended up with a raging headache.

Living in California, we are positively spoiled when it comes to wine. We have a never ending selection of fine wines, so it never occurred to me to search out fine wines from Chile.

At least not until I started connecting with wine folk on Twitter. There, I ran into Robert Bralow, who works for the country of Chile. And to my surprise and delight, send me a wonderful sample pack of 6 different wines (one white and the balance luscious reds).

The first one we opened up was a 2006 Santa Carolina Reserva Carmenere. My husband got to it first and said, “You will never believe how good this is.”
And was he ever right!

This was unlike any Chilean wine we had ever had: Very earthy, smooth and oh so drinkable!
The next night we opened the 2006 Caliterra Tributo Single Vineyard Carmenere. This wine was unbelievable! It resembled a very full bodied Pinot with intense fruit and flavor that just exploded with each sip.
The remaining 4 bottles went down just as smoothly and not a headache to be had!
This article is my mea culpa to the winemakers of Chile. Their price point is very affordable (all the ones we tasted were under $20), and with the great assortment out there to choose from, I am confident you and I will easily find wines that capture our tastes.

Wine Tip: Searching for a specific bottle of wine and can’t seem to find it? Check out www.wine-searcher.com. I found that Caliterra Tributo and ordered 6 bottles!
Na Zdrowia!

The post Chilean Wine: You’ve Got to Be Kidding! appeared first on Luxury Home Digest.

I call Eve Sieminski the Polish Contessa. She loves fine jewelry, expensive hairstylists and fine wine. I don’t know where Eve shops for jewelry or what deal (if any) she strikes with her hairstylist, but we follow her wine recommendations religiously.

Eve truly knows how to serve luxury on a gold-plated shoestring.

You see, the Polish Contessa, has no problem pouring a classless wine down the drain, nor does she hesitate to share her latest finds. One recent jewel was the TBD Zinfandel that is available at Trader Joe’s for (shhhh!) $4.99 a bottle. We tried one bottle and immediately bought a case. It really is that good. But the recommendation comes from Eve, who says:

“This tastes like a $30 bottle of fine Zinfandel that I wouldn’t hesitate to serve at a State Dinner–or to my snootiest clients. It might be good, however, to decant the wine first. The TBD label and name just don’t do justice to what is inside the bottle.”

If you are looking for commentary about hints of raspberry, chocolate finishes or oakey notes, Eve suggests you visit a symphony or read reviews for $80 bottles of wine in Wine Spectator or the like. And while Eve can afford Opus One or perhaps a Chateau Clement Pichon, she takes great pleasure in finding great wines at fabulous prices–and enjoys sharing her conquests.

If you want reviews and inside bargain scoops on fine wines from a true wine lover (instead of a critic), I advise you to stay tuned. Eve has promised to gift our luxey readers with more of her outstanding finds in wine and food. And if you, dear reader, have a recommendation for great wines under $20, Eve promises she (and we?) will try them out and share the results.

Eve’s Bonus Wine Tip: If you don’t have time to property chill your red wine to European room temperature (yes, red wine blossoms with slight chilling), put it in your freezer for 15 minutes (set timer), remove and enjoy.

This will be an irregular column, but we promise to share great wine finds, food discoveries and bonus wine and food tips with our luxury readers as soon as they become available.

What better way to truly enjoy your luxury home with appreciative friends and other oenophiles.

In the meantime, please feel free to share your own!

You may also wish to read:

The Luxury of Gnarly Head Zinfandel

Wine Storage for Oenophiles

The post Luxury on a Gold-Plated Shoestring appeared first on Luxury Home Digest.