Katrin and I crossed the river into the Republic to visit the recently opened Russell House Tavern in Harvard Square. Press about the restaurant had been favorable – imaginative gastropub menu, house-made charcuterie and a commitment to use locally sourced ingredients. On the bar side, there are classic and innovative cocktails, a fair amount of organic, biodynamic or sustainable wines and craft beers. Yet, hasn’t this been the trend of late? What really sets RHT apart, for me, is the wine on tap. For some of us wine geeks, wine on tap, a.k.a. wine-in-a-keg, is the Next Big Thing. The practice started on the West Coast and has now made its way to us. Like beer, wine is placed in a keg, connected to a feed line and pushed out by the introduction of nitrogen. There is no contact with oxygen! How many times have I ordered a glass of wine at a bar and while watching the bar tender dispense my pour from an already opened bottle, wondered just how long ago that wine had been opened and how conscientiously it had been stored and at what temperature. With wine on tap, the pour is always fresh and at the correct temperature. For those of a green bent, the idea has appeal since there are no empty wine bottles and cardboard packaging to recycle. The keg, when empty, can be refilled. And for those of an economical bent, less bottling and packaging costs means savings at the tap. It’s estimated that serving wine this way reduces costs 10-25%, savings passed on to the consumer – hopefully. Great idea or what!?! In line with the Tavern’s locavore bent, the two wines are from Westport Rivers Winery. The two, a Pinot Blanc and a rose of Pinot Noir, are both cool climate wines with plenty of zip. And at $5 a glass – $20 for a carafe – certainly a bargain. An aside – RHT goes bistro-style with its glassware – wines are served in tumblers; no swirling and sniffing here. RHT is the only place in Boston using this system; hopefully, though, not for long as other wineries and restaurants come to see the beauty of wine on tap.
