Tapping into wine
A Newport Beach wine and cheese seller is experimenting with something new: wines on tap.
The Wine Lab, the West Coast Highway shop that opened in 2008, expanded last week into Costa Mesa with the opening of a new 1,200-sqaure-foot location at The Camp.
Owners ChrisAnn and Roger Richards have installed a MicroMatic dispenser that serves eight wines delivered to the store in keglike canisters.
“It’s a style that’s really been embraced by small, family wineries,” Roger Richards said. “It’s a very high-quality wine. Because of the size of the keg, the temperature stability when it’s transported is very good, and so the quality of the wine remains superior.”
Additionally, having fewer glass bottles is more eco-friendly and less costly, which translates to less expensive tastings, he said.
Wine flights, which are a staple of the Newport Beach location, will also be featured at the Costa Mesa store. The flights range between about $10 and $20; wine by the glass starts around $5.
The low-cost, friendly service and cozy atmosphere of the shop — which features padded red stools and ample seating around the bar — is core to the Wine Lab philosophy, Roger Richards said.
“What we’ve seen with the recession is that people are more selective of what they buy,” he said. “So an opportunity to know about wine and try wine, in an environment that is not stuffy, is a real value. We’re hoping to deliver a rich experience for people’s entertainment dollars.”
The Wine Lab at The Camp opened across from Native Foods and near Old Vine Cafe. It is open 11a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday and closed Monday.
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