Red wine swirls in the bowl of the glass, releasing a dark, fruity aroma. Its flavor is luxurious and complex. But this wine didn’t come from an expensive glass bottle but from a keg, not unlike those found at frat parties.

Paul Tanguay, a Chicago-based sommelier who co-founded Tippling Bros.’ beverage consulting company, is the man responsible for serving kegged wine and cocktails at Tavernita restaurant, 151 W. Erie St. He said it sprang from his urge to do something new in the service industry. The establishment now has 18 wines on tap, which he believes enhances the restaurant’s appeal. However, he admits it took some time for the trend to catch on.

According to Tanguay, the abundance of wine on tap started in Europe in 2011 and has just surfaced in the U.S. The wines needed time to ferment before distribution, which is why they have only recently become available.

An added benefit is that wine kegs are less expensive than bottles because they can be reused, according to Chicago sommelier

Michael Bottigliero.

“Come 2013, we’re definitely going to see a lot more kegged wines on the market,” Tanguay said. “It allows me to buy wines at a discounted price because the producers aren’t paying for all the bottles, labels [and] corks for four glasses.”

Tanguay said kegs also preserve the wine they contain. Even if an opened bottle of wine is re-corked, it is still exposed to air and ultraviolet rays, which spoil the bottle. Kegs keep out both light and air while preventing sulfur dioxide, a preservative used in winemaking, from escaping. He said the wine industry is still coming up with innovative ways to produce and store kegged wine, including collapsible kegs from Europe and improved tubing and stainless steel.

Ben Miller, general manager of Paris Club, 59 W. Hubbard St., said until recently, none of Chicago’s wine distributors wanted to work with kegged wine because they didn’t have the necessary materials. He said once wineries and restaurants began demanding kegged wine, distributors had no choice but to accommodate the change, although they were hesitant to enter the

new market.

Bottigliero said the high quality and reasonable price of kegged wine have done much to increase its popularity. Kegged wine usually costs between $7–$15 per glass, a price range he said is often beneficial to both the consumer and the restaurant. But the trend’s future in Chicago is uncertain.

“Unless a few more places catch on and a few more wine producers start making these kegs, it might just be a passing fad,”

Bottigliero said.

Wine afficianados may associate kegged wine with beer, but Bottigliero said they should be open to the new experience. He said experimenting with tap wines is a good way to start learning the culture.

“There’s going to be some trash talking,” Bottigliero said. “But what [kegged wine] did was turn a lot of people who didn’t normally drink wine onto drinking [it].”