Self-serve and tap wine isn't new in the Milwaukee area, but it's becoming more popular

While self-serve wine machines and wine on tap have been in this area for more than a decade, interest has definitely picked up in the past year or two. In fact, it was a must-have at Stone Creek Coffee’s newest location in Whitefish Bay that opened Dec. 14.

“We’ve played around with having alcohol available in the past, but we’d never developed a strong program,” said Drew Pond, Stone Creek’s director of development and a co-owner. He noted the natural wine focus and self-serve machines are something that haven't been available in the Whitefish Bay area.

“It provides customers an adaptable wine experience. I love doing whiskey and wine tastings,” Pond said. “This is a way I can go with my wife and try six different wines and not buy six different bottles. It is a choose-your-own-adventure situation.”

After 30 years in the Milwaukee area, the decision to add tap beer and self-serve wine at Stone Creek was a shift, but very intentional. You won’t find the wines listed on the menu over the order counter, but that is where you pick up a card to start a tab so you can serve yourself pours of 1, 2.5 or 5 ounces.

“It was, how do we create a space people want to be in, and deliver an experience that people don’t expect from a coffee shop,” Pond said. “The customer response has been positive.”  

Self-serve wine machines offer more choices, minimize waste

Wine professionals have embraced the pay-for-pour concept behind self-serve alcohol, though consumers sometimes need convincing at first. There can be a slight learning curve, but wine on tap and self-serve pours offer a tasting adventure for all budgets.

While the Wisconsin Department of Revenue’s Alcohol & Tobacco Enforcement Unit does not have specific numbers on tap wine and self-serve wine machines in the state, Special Agent in Charge Tyler Quam said they have seen an increase in their prevalence.

Self-serve wine machines were Tom Hockel's first choice when he opened Spring City Wine House, 36 W. Main St., Waukesha, with his wife, Stacy, eight years ago.

“We have 75 wines by the glass right now, and 48 are in the machines. The others are glasses of champagne, sparkling wines and things like that,” said Hockel, who worked in the wine industry for 20 years before opening Spring City. “What I love about the system is this: You can open any bottles you want, an Opus One, expensive Bordeaux, whatever, and you don’t have to worry about going through it in two or three days. Our system holds it for 45 days. It uses food-grade argon gas, no odors, no changes. It is temperature-controlled, too.”

Hockel said they have wines ranging from $6 per glass to $90 per glass, with a lot in the middle.

Self-serve wine does not mean cheap wine

The Ruby Tap’s Brooke Smith opened the wine bar's Wauwatosa location in 2012 with her sister, Sarah Nelson. Smith fights the misperception of wine on tap being of low quality with intention.

“I had been researching these machines since I was like 25, and I wasn’t even going to be opening anything yet,” she said. “We knew we’d do the machines no matter what, and they were coming from Italy. Before we even opened a space or signed a lease, we ordered the machines. Then tap is in the name.”

While the wine machines are entirely self-serve, with 32 options for customers, tap options are ordered at the bar.

“We don’t typically do a lot of cheap stuff, because when we opened people thought keg wine was cheap stuff. So the (single vineyard) Au Bon Climat pinot noir, when we opened, that was our first,” Smith said, noting she seeks out unique and limited wines when possible.

“I think the misconception about cheap bulk stuff has gone away," she said. "There are more places doing tap wine. Sometimes when people come in and see we have expensive stuff, they pick one and say, 'I only got this much for $10?' Well, you ordered from a $60 bottle. It is about educating, but I don’t really have to worry that the bottle is in and no one is going to order it.

“Tap is also so much easier than opening bottles, and I think the wine stays fresher in keg," she said.

But she’s not averse to challenging that theory.

“If I have something on tap and someone brings in a bottle, it is a fun comparison to do,” she said.

The business also has two taps on their trailer, The Ruby Roadie, which they take to festivals and events. 

The sisters’ approach has been an inspiration to customers and other wine professionals to try something different.

That’s exactly what Jaclyn Stuart, a certified sommelier and owner of Vintage Elkhart Lake, 100 E. Rhine St., Elkhart Lake, did. Stuart first encountered wine machines more than a decade ago while grocery shopping in her hometown in California. Then she visited The Ruby Tap and knew she had to take another look.

“I visited Ruby Tap and thought I’d just get a glass of wine or two. I ended up trying everything on tap, and left substantially lighter in the pocketbook,” Stuart said. “If they can make me, who knows wine and knows my budget, go over that, maybe I should look at this more closely. They’re fun!”

Stuart’s intimate and curated shop was open for a decade before she added the machines in 2022.

The resort town of Elkhart Lake, with a population of less than 1,000, is booming with tourists and race fans in the warmer months, but things slow down considerably in winter.

“Before if I had a bottle open here for three days, I wouldn’t want to serve it to someone, even with a wine preserver or gas sealer. Especially here in January, it is pretty quiet. The spoilage savings are massive,” Stuart said. Machines use different preservation methods, but they preserve the wine anywhere from 30 to 45 days.

Stuart’s one essential tip for using the wine machines: Don’t forget to put the glass under the spout. It happens more often than you’d think.

Vintage offers 16 wines daily, with styles and price points for fans of both red and white wines.

“The only limitation is fully sparkling,” Stuart said. “Which is kind of a bummer, because I love sparkling wine. I’ve got a workaround now, one that is a fizzy dry Gavi that is amazing. It is a bummer we can’t put a full Champagne on it. It can blow the line. They’re telling me they’re working on something. We’ll see.”

Wine machines help make wine more approachable

Hockel at Spring City Wine House thinks self-serve machines make wine more accessible for people.

“It really takes the pretentiousness out of wine for the customer," he said. "So many people, you don’t want to pronounce this or that wrong, so they say, 'I’ll just take the chardonnay,' or whatever. Here the customer gets the card and makes a choice. ... The beauty of this system is there are no bad wines, and it really takes the pretentiousness and intimidation out of wine for the customer."

Stuart agrees.

“This is a really great tool for getting people to try things outside their comfort zone, not just in price point, but also in style,” she said. “Just push the button and try it, and maybe you’ll love it. It is nice, too, instead of having to order at a bar and be intimidated to pronounce albarino or nebbiolo.”

While there are still customers who walk in and have never seen or used a wine machine, that can be part of the fun.

“People try it once, they think it is really cool,” Hockel said. “We give them nice Riedel glassware. They can try something else if they don’t like it. It is an experience.

“I think years ago it was really weird for this type of thing. Some people are very wine snobby. They did not want this at all. 'No, I want a bottle, and you can pour it for me.' We still do that all the time. We have 450 wines by the bottle, so we’re happy to do that," he said.

Hockel, Stuart and Smith all noted that customers who use the machines often find a favorite and buy a bottle.

“It is good for people who know nothing about wine, because you can learn what you like and try things,” Smith said. “Then we also get some wine geeks, or even the distributors. They know their brands, but they don’t always get to try everyone else’s. We always have a big fancy cab at the end. There are some people, especially at the (Ruby Tap) Mequon location, who just want to go for that, which we love.” 

More self-serve wine and beer in southeast Wisconsin

Black Sheep, 216 S. 2nd St., has served wine on tap for more than a decade and has 16 options available daily. Walk up to the city’s only wine wall and there’s a handy guide right there, explaining pours and pricing.

“We want to make sure we are offering things that are unique but familiar. We run the gamut of esoteric small production to larger regions and grape varietals,” said General Manager Patrick Nellen. “The machine adds another layer of excitement to the process.”

In May 2022, Heidi and Paul McGraw of Delavan opened Geneva Tap House in Lake Geneva, featuring the largest self-serve wall in Wisconsin with 50 taps of beer, ciders and wine, with a focus on options from Wisconsin. All products at Geneva Tap House’s two locations are kegged, and the self-serve wall was inspired by the family’s visit to the Pour Taproom in Knoxville, Tennessee.

“They had 60-something taps of beer, wine, seltzer and cocktails on tap. I don’t know if God talks through beer or wine, but I looked at my husband and daughter and I said, ‘I think this is what I am supposed to be doing with my life,’” said Heidi McGraw, a former school counselor.

Overall response to the self-serve wall proved so popular that after the first year with the family-operated Lake Geneva location, the McGraws worked with investors to open a second location this summer. Their Kenosha Tap House location has a full liquor license and features 60 taps, including five wines and six cocktails on tap.

“We try to keep all products local,” McGraw said. “It is hard to find Wisconsin wine on tap, I have to admit. I’ve been blessed working with the wine reps, like Badger Liquor and Johnson Brothers.

“We actually had von Stiehl Sassy Sangria on tap last year. They stopped kegging it,” she said. “The Sassy Sangria was such a huge hit with our customers we actually bought von Stiehl out. When they brought it back, they only did bottles. I kept asking, ‘Is there any way to get the Sassy Sangria kegged again?’ We get their cider. We had the sangria kegged before so I know they have the ability. We made a deal, committing to buy 25 kegs over a course of a year. We just purchased the last two and we haven’t even hit nine months.”

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Self-serve wine isn't new in Milwaukee, but it's becoming more popular