Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Wine Wine Wednesday: Yet Another Cool Thing We Can't Get Here in the Backwaters
Posted by Chris Chamberlain on Wed, Apr 27, 2011 at 8:03 AM
Now apparently there is a company out of California that is marketing a home wine bar called "the20" which is designed to create exactly that sort of experience. The name comes from radio communication 10 codes, where 10-20 means "location." The company behind the20 sources wines from some of the best grape-growing locations around California. By buying in bulk without the marketing and packaging expenses of major wineries, they are able to offer consumers great pricing on some real boutique wines.
After purchasing a home cask made from the same sort of red oak that wine casks are made of, owners of the20 system receive periodic shipments of 3 liters of red wine from small artisan winemakers on the West Coast. Each shipment costs about $65-$100, which figures out to a $15-$25 per bottle deal. Thanks to the oak and the gravity dispenser system, your wine should remain eminently drinkable for up to a month after you fill the cask. As if it takes a month to drink four bottles. ...
Some of the wineries that the20 sources from include Acorn, Kent Rasmussen, Mercy Vineyards and Woodenhead. They also offer a money-back or replacement guarantee if you don't happen to like the winery that they have chosen for a shipment.
Sure it's a glorified wine in a box, but the cool factor and the availability of cult boutique wines make the20 a very interesting option. But unfortunately, not for us Tennesseans yet. The website says: "Due to archaic state-level liquor laws, we are only able to ship to residents of CA, DC, NM and OR at the present time. However, we are working hard to fix this quickly, so go to our homepage and leave your email address and state and we’ll contact you as soon as the20 is available in your state."
Or you can just keep reading Bites, and I'll let you know when the tap is open.
Comments (5)
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That is fantastic! It's a shame I'm allergic to red, otherwise it'd be time for a grown up 20Keg Party.
Hey Chris-thanks for the link, this has really piqued my interest. I'm in CA this week so I'm going to give it a try. I'll report back when the goods arrive. I'm super curious to see if the wine holds up over the allotted time it takes to consume...
Let us know what you find out, Terry! Maybe you can bootleg some home for us on the next eastern leg of your bicoastalhood.
Will the Scene please do some real reporting on yet another joke of an attempt to change our liquor laws being killed by the same committee over and over? I think it's time someone got serious and followed the money with courage and tenacity. Those few people keep ignoring all polls and common sense and even their own party leadership, and it can only be because of what's going in their pockets by what is obviously an entrenched lobby that operates with absolutely no fear of repercussions. We had the ridiculous "tennessee waltz" sting operation that in hindsight smacks of race, but where is the investigation regarding these same lobbyists and these same committee members? How hard can it be ?
