Roberson showcases wines on tap at Selfridges pop-up

UK supplier and online retailer Robersons Wine is to showcase some of its Wine on Tap range at Selfridges’ new pop-up restaurant.

The wine supplier has donated kegs of Trousseau Gris from California to the WastED restaurant, which will run until 2 April on the roof of the Oxford Street store. It has been intended to showcase how Wine on Tap can significantly reduce waste, with wines served by the glass throughout the pop-up .

Jack Green from Roberson Wine pointed out that one recyclable plastic keg of wine was equivalent to 26 glass bottles, and weighed only 1.2 kilos when empty, compared to up to 13 kilos in its glass equivalent.

It also means that the wine stays fresher in kegs than open bottles, further reducing the wastage.

“Over the last couple of years we have really focused on quality and variety,” he said. “This exciting project enables us to shine a light on the green value of Wine on Tap.”

Roberson argues that this is “a high quality way to serve high quality wine” and many wineries have already embraced the trend.

The online wine retailer launched its Wine on Tap business to the UK on-trade in summer 2014, and later closed its flagship wine shop on High Street Kensington in order to focus on its trade and wholesaling business.

The WastED pop-up was devised to highlight food and drink waste, and has been run in collaboration with New York chef Dan Barber of Blue Hill restaurant. Barber has teamed up with local farmers, suppliers and retailers to “reimagine by-products at every link in the food chain.”

Restaurants in key US cities including New York, LA, San Francisco and Atlanta have been selling wine from kegs since 2011, but the UK has increasingly adopted the trend across the on-trade, casual and fine dining.  Other suppliers and wholesalers supplying the trade include Bibendum, and more recently, Hatch Mansfield.