It is well known that sales of wine by the glass can greatly increase a restaurant’s revenue. It is not uncommon for wine sales to double or even quadruple with the introduction on of an effective by-the-glass program. However, interesting and varied by-the-glass programs rarely extend to Champagnes because of the enormous potential for waste.

Because the Perlage Systems completely eliminates the waste associated with by-the-glass Champagne service, restaurants can now expand the variety and quality of their by-the-glass offerings. Using the Perlage System, restaurants can confidently offer even the most expensive tête de cuvée by the glass without fear of waste. Clearly, there are enormous upsides for distributors and manufacturers as well as end users.

How Perlage is Deployed

The Perlage System consists of two components: The enclosure that surrounds the bottle, and the filling mechanism that repressurizes the headspace of the bottle. A restaurant will want to have one enclosure for each Sparkling wine offered by the glass, but generally only one filling mechanism is required.

The Perlage System filling mechanism can be deployed in several different ways in a restaurant. It can either be connected to a stand-alone CO2 source, such as a small five-pound CO2 cylinder. Or, it can be plumbed into an existing beer or soda system using a conversion kit.

Here is a sampling of some Seattle-area restaurants that are using the Perlage System.

CANLIS, one of Washington's oldest and most venerated restaurants, has used the system to offer Krug and Dom Perignon by the glass. In a recent promotion, they sold 40 bottles of Krug by the glass in three weeks—ten times what they would normally sell—while tripling full-bottle sales.

WILD GINGER, one of the area's premier restaurants, has used the Perlage System to sell 1997 Dom Perignon and 1997 Louis Roederer Cristal by the glass, as well as Perrier Jouet Fleur de Champagne. Their sales increased to several bottles a week, at a price of $40 per glass.

UNION, voted one of the 40 best new restaurants in the U.S. in 2004 by Esquire magazine, has used the Perlage System on all of the Champagnes they sell, including one tête de cuvée that changes from month to month.

Other restaurants using the Perlage System include The Herbfarm, El Gaucho, Cascadia, The Fairmont Hotel, Il Bistro, Zig Zag Café, and Campagne.