A few days back, the folks at Winecouver put together a post about struggles that retailer Firefly Fine Wine and Ales has had with the government’s hate for their high tech Enomatic machine. Among other points, the liquor board states that the wine must be served in plastic cups (our government is anti-environment and anti-the drinking of wine for enjoyment), the total of all pours cannot exceed an ounce or two (of wine!) and the remaining contents of the bottles must be destroyed 30 mins prior to the store closing (essentially defeating the purpose of an Enomatic machine in the first place). It turns out other people think that these regulations are completely off-base as well…
Yesterday, Wines & Vines did a piece about Enomatic machines called “Government Limits Wine Dispensers,” which landed the top story today on WineBusiness.com. Wine blogger Dr. Vino referenced Winecouver’s post in his weekly Sipped and Spit article. Winelaw.ca’s Mark Hicken included a link in his Summer News post earlier this week.
I have had both great experiences with an Enomatic machine (Lavinia in Paris) and some not so good experiences (some restaurants think you can hook up 50 bottles and that they will never oxidize). I love their use in retail stores – especially when they are set up on card credits and you can pay to try an array of different wines before you buy (something that is illegal in BC also). These regulations are just more examples of how the BCLDB doesn’t understand a difference between fine wine and Bacardi Breezers (and in the process is stifling a wine culture in BC). They also aim to make it as difficult as possible for private retailers (their customer and competition!). Keep it up Winecouver.
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7 Responses:
August 6th, 2010 at 4:51 pm
Lavinia in madrid had similarly great enomatic dispensers. Is there any doubt left that this regulator is doing harm to our society? Both environmentally and economically.
August 7th, 2010 at 6:12 am
I was at Balkthazar’s (http://www.restaurants.co.za/details.asp?resId=3489) in Cape Town that which has 500 + wines BTG, all on Vinoteque (similar to enomatic). I was told that the wines last at least a couple months on there, if properly connected and maintained. Not true?
We tried maybe 5 or 6 (including old Cape Classique, from Chamonix, I believe) and everything was fine.
August 7th, 2010 at 11:55 am
Hi Craig – Belthazar looks crazy – ‘biggest wine-by-the-glass bar in the world’ – looks like a mecca for those seeking S. African wines.
I’ve never worked at a restaurant or shop that had a wine dispensing system, so I can’t comment on models or brands (I only know Vinoteque as a type of temp controlled cabinet), but I’ve experienced receiving oxidized glasses of wine straight out of the machine on a couple occasions at Joey’s Wine Bar in Vancouver, which I believe has the city’s largest selection in this system (this was probably close to two years ago). The oxidation seemed to be worse with 1 oz pours (someone mentioned that this is because there is unprotected wine inside the tube that enters the bottle… but this seems like too much of an oversight for me to really believe). The staff at Joey’s were always great about checking the wines if I made a comment and replacing it with something else, but it seemed like they had to deal with oxidation on an ongoing basis.
I’m afraid that restaurateurs will replace trained wine staff with these machines as opposed to using them in conjunction with knowledgeable staff – tasting the wines periodically and knowing how to handle the situation if there is an issue. To me, having 500 wines by the glass reduces the influence of a wine director in choosing a thoughtful list of wines he/she believes in. Having that many wines is gimmicky and confusing and, call me old-fashioned, but I’d be very skeptical of the integrity of the more obscure (and rarely ordered) wines on that list (likely the ones I would order). Have a rotating list of 5 whites and 5 reds that you love, pour me a glass straight from the bottle and I’m happy.
Again, my experience with them is limited, but I’d love to see the wine shops each have one with 10-20 bottles hooked up that you would pay for by the pour.
August 7th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
Lets us not get sidetracked the main issue, which is the LDB and liquor licensing have no vision, they enforce undocumented antiquated policy, use intimidation and is in the business of saying no. This stifles creativity and investment in our people and province.
The WSET & ISG are training an incredible amount of young mobile people about the wine, spirit & beer industry. Where will these people get meaningful jobs? In an environment which numbs ideas or one which is free of meaningless rules and regulations, the Enomatic issue is one such example.
I am of the opinion the tsunami is slowly forming. We need to engage in meaningful conversation and highlight, to the mainstream press, how the accumulation of these policies are indeed strangling our youth and industry.
August 7th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
It really amazes me how topics like this keep coming up.. How does this continue to happen?
Why is it OK for rules like this to exist when everyone who hears about it laughs thinking it’s a joke or shakes there head because they can’t believe it…
there is a really stupid, depressing statement that keeps running thru my head…”this town could have such an dynamic and exciting wine culture if only the Liquor laws and Distribution system would change… like the rest of the world”
something needs to happen.
August 7th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
I love the concept of the enomatic machine – and even more so in this economy when you would like to be certain that you will enjoy the wine you purchase VS going for your regular choice.
It is bothersome to see this type of government attitude of “protecting us from ourselves”. In the province of QC, it seems as if the SAQ (Société des alcools du Québec) and the RACJ (Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux – the BC LCLB equivalent) have come to an agreement and the Enomatic machine is a key component of their new SAQ Selection Concept Stores – see link to a video.
http://www.saq.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/GeneralContentView?page=/nh/section3_outlets/new-selection-concept/&langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001
I’ll try to find out more if they have any regulations about discarding wine, etc. and report back.
August 8th, 2010 at 1:20 pm
John, I agree that the Enomatic issue is just another example of how flawed the entire system is. Hopefully as these kind of issues come up and they get widespread press (because of how ridiculous they are), the mass perception will continue to change.
Keith – totally agreed. I think now with new media, when these issues come up, they’ll reach a bigger audience of people.
Irene, it’s interesting that the SAQ has embraced the Enomatic machines. I’m sure the LDB will eventually follow suit once they get the licensing amended to support them. They’ll realize that ‘hey, dumping out this $300 bottle of Bordeaux at the end of the night doesn’t make sense after all’ and ‘maybe this Burgundy would taste better from a drinking vessel made from glass.’ Just details I suppose.