Winery now using taps, growlers

TRAVERSE CITY -- Left Foot Charley Winery is switching to more eco-friendly packaging, including wine straight from the tank.

The winery, at the Grand Traverse Commons, will also use beeswax to seal its bottles.

The winery plans to sell one-liter, refillable "Little Green Jug" growlers. Customers can also bring in their own bottles. The winery estimates that it went through nearly 2,000 bottles in tastes and wines served by the glass last year.

"It's crazy to bottle wine just so that it can be carried 50 feet to be poured at our bar," said winemaker Bryan Ulbrich.

Wines sold in Little Green Jugs will cost less to produce than the same amount sold in a bottle, Ulbrich said, and the savings will be passed along to the consumer.

On tap, Left Food Charley will start with Pinot Grigio and Riesling and a hard cider.

Left Foot Charley recommends that wine purchased in the Littte Green Jugs be consumed within two weeks.

The winery's plans to replace all polyvinyl chloride (PVC) capsules with a wax seal is also a green move, said Ulbrich. The production of PVC is widely known to cause cancer and birth defects. "As far as I am concerned, it has no place in our winery," he said.

Left Foot Charley Winery and Wine Bar is at 806 Red Drive. Call 955-0500 or go to www.leftfootcharley.com.