Anchors Aweigh ⚓

We may have gotten our start in craft beer (and have since expanded to a load of other craft bevies), but it’s no secret that we regularly enjoy a great glass of vino. Keeping in line with our quest for craft, fresh and local, we’re beyond excited to welcome Rhode Island winemakers, Anchor & Hope, to our portfolio. What sets Anchor & Hope apart? That they are firm believers in wine on tap. Kegged wine is better for the environment, fresher, more profitable and more efficient than bottled wine. And while they aren’t looking to replace the wine bottle, they are hoping to usher in a new era of wine consumption. We’re so here for it.

A Story of Hope

Anchor & Hope is a modern négociant style winery (translated from French: a négociant is a wine merchant who assembles the produce of smaller growers and winemakers and sells the result under its own name) founded by California native and traveling winemaker, James Davids and Massachusetts born and raised, Marissa Stashenko.

James first came onto the scene in 2003, winemaking and leading grower relations for two wineries in Napa before earning a degree in Viticulture and Enology. He then spent three years as a winemaker in the Rheinhessen before traveling to New Zealand to work for a renowned winemaker in the Central Otago region. In 2009, he returned to California to start his own urban winery in San Fran. His proudest moment? Impressing his grandma with the news that his Pinot Noir was poured for President Obama.

After an MBA from Babson College (#1 school for entrepreneurship), many years in the corporate marketing world, and learning as much as possible about wine on the side via James, Marissa brings a wealth of experience to the pair’s exciting new venture.

The husband-wife duo decided to head due east after a few years in California to begin a new chapter in the Ocean State, an ideal location between the wine behemoth of the West (California) and their partner vineyards in Europe. They felt the East Coast served as a perfect location for them to be able to collab with vineyards across the globe.

They quickly found a home for their new winery in an old wire mill building in Rumford, RI, about 10 minutes from Providence, a city that reminds them of an earlier San Francisco, “blooming with artists, soul, diversity, and grit.”

Behind the Grapes

A wine is only as good as its grapes. That’s why James and Marissa partner with small family farms in California, Oregon, and Germany to produce incredible wines. They focus on lesser-known wine regions that are up-and-coming and producing great, quality fruit. Soon after harvesting, each grower ships their varietals or blends to Rhode Island where they’re then aged and packaged into either 5-gallon kegs or 750ml bottles.

Pictured above: snapshots from James and Marissa’s travels to Groehl Vineyards (Germany), The Rheinhessen (Germany), and Applegate Valley (Oregon).

Kegging to Differ

Marissa & James are championing the kegged wine movement on the East Coast for a variety of reasons. Here’s why you should, too:

🌎 Better for the environment: Over the lifetime of a single stainless steel keg (approx. 30 years), roughly 3,000 bottles, labels, corks, capsules, and cartons are saved from being shipped all around the world and eventually thrown out.

💰 More profitable: There’s a 10-50% increase in margin on by-the-glass due to lower cost of kegs when compared to the same quality wine in bottles. There’s no loss due to spoilage and more glasses poured with speed and ease.

🍇 Always fresh: There is no air or cork to taint the wine in a keg, so the first glass of wine is as fresh as the last. This reduces dissatisfied customers due to bottle variation or spoilage.

⚙️ More efficient: A quicker pour creates an efficient workflow and more time spent with customers. Each keg is equivalent to 26 bottles that the server would have to stock, open and dispose of.

Broken down, one 5.2gal Keg yields approximately 130 glasses of wine (with a standard pour of 5oz) or 110 glasses if you’re feeling generous with 6oz pours. That’s a pretty damn good deal if you ask us. And a whole lot of wine.

If bottles are more your speed (and make more sense for you and your customers), Anchor & Hope has options from Rosé to Riesling. 🍾 Your customers can still enjoy that same craft, fresh taste but in a format they prefer and are more accustomed to.

Vineyard ➡️ Keg ➡️ Glass

In a bar or restaurant setting, Marissa & James realize that a draft system dedicated to wine can be a challenge.  That’s why their sister company, Enotap offers full-service draft solutions committed to making sure that each customer’s draft system is designed and working properly at all times. From rental options for small counter units to custom draft buildouts, Enotap has tailored options for every customer. They can hook you up. Quite literally. More on the services they provide below. 👇

🔧 Full-service design & installation: Enotap can design and install a customized system around customer objectives/limitations.

🔧 Draft maintenance & repair: Full-service line cleaning and repairs as well as training for staff to ensure wines pour properly and taste fresh.

🔧 On-demand support: Phone/in-person support as needed.

🍷 THE WINE 🍷

All of A&H’s wines are farmed sustainably from a single vineyard. They’re elegant, food-friendly, easy-drinking and best enjoyed with friends and loved ones. Click on each wine to read about its characteristics, flavor profile, appellation, the winemaking process and more.

Contact your CC sales rep to get Anchor & Hope on tap or in bottles. For more behind-the-scenes info on how Anchor & Hope is continuing to change the wine game, sip and scroll on Instagram.