When cousins John H. Niven and Michael Blaney look out over the vineyards spreading south from Islay Hill, they see the past, and they see the future. Their grandfather, Jack Niven, planted the vineyards 40 years ago, pioneering modern grape growing in Edna Valley. The family has been shaping the wine industry there ever since.

Their vineyards are SIP Certified “Sustainable”, and have been awarded renewal every vintage since the program’s inception in 2008. Niven Family adhere to Whole Farm System standards, including things like energy efficiency and both habitat and water conservation, along with a commitment to economic stability and human resources management.

Niven Family Wines production is based in San Luis Obispo, CA, USA.

The Challenge

Wine on tap is a growing trend at hip, cutting-edge bars and restaurants across the USA. Niven Family Wines saw this as a great opportunity to extend their sustainable business practices in yet another realm.

Niven Family Wines needed an inexpensive, reliable means to supply their wine in keg. Brands include Tangent, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Albariño, Baileyana Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Rose, Trenza Tinto, Zocker Grüner Veltliner and Cabernet sauvignon. Packaging quality and integrity is essential because of wines susceptibility to spoilage.

The Petainer Solution

Niven Family Wines are using 20 liter (5.17 Gallon) “Classic” Petainers to keg a range of domestic red and white “still” wines fitted with US “Sankey” (D type) valves. It is the first time Niven Family Wines have used PET kegs.

The keg system eliminates the oxidation problems associated with open bottles. Extensive tests and trials demonstrated that the low-cost, PET recyclable kegs are 100 per cent reliable and ensure the wines are consistently delivered in optimum condition.

The environmentally-friendly containers provide the perfect packaging solution for Niven Family Wines to supply their artisan wines to discerning customers in new markets.

Manufacturing costs are lower with PET and because the kegs are non-returnable they save the company money on logistics and help to reduce its carbon footprint.

Low-cost fittings allow petainerKeg™ to be used with the same tapping systems and equipment required for conventional metal containers. The kegs are safe, easy to handle and there are no advance charges.

"Petainer has provided us with a perfect draft packaging format for our products. Wine quality is assured at dispense, and is always consistent. Every 20L keg we can sell saves 26 glass bottles, corks, labels and foils. This means we all benefit from the commercial and important environmental advantages of bringing wine “on tap” to the market."

John H. Niven, Niven Family Wine Estates

The Results

Using petainerKegs, Niven Family Wines are providing wine “on tap” to new markets for their Tangent, Zocker, True Myth, Baileyana and Cadre brands.

petainerKeg™ help Niven Family Wines to reduce its environmental impact and its filling and transport costs throughout the supply chain. petainerKegs ensure that these artisan products consistently reach consumers in first-class condition.

Petainer provides Niven Family Wines with high quality, product integrity and attention to detail. petainerKegs are providing Niven Family Wines with new opportunities for local, out of state and international accounts.