Chaim Gur-Arieh, Ph.D. knows Syrah. He grows it and 8 other varietals on 209 acres in the Sierra Foothills of California.

"It grows so well. Its floral and fruity," says the self proclaimed life-long wine lover but newcomer in the wine making industry. He started his C.G. Di Arie Vineyards and Winery in 2001 where he produces about 50,000 cases per year.

Born in Turkey, Chaim's family moved to Israel when he was just 14 where he did his time in the Israeli Army and thus the local university. His intelligence and dedication allowed him to get his PhD in the United States at the University of Illinois where he majored in food science and landed a job at Quaker Oats in Chicago as a product development specialist and helped create the "Cap N Crunch" breakfast cereal. From Quaker Oats he went to Del Monte in California and helped develop pudding and yogurt cups. He then formed his own company, Food Development Corporation where he created Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing, Power Bars and Wine Coolers. In 1998 he sold his company and pursued his passion: wine making.

That versatility and creativity is reflected in his wines and his latest creation a "barrel heist/wine keg."

It's designed for restaurants to dispense wine like they do beer on tap. We've all been to a bar and seen those beer taps. Well now, imagine a wine tap system. Oh yes, there are several out there but this one is different. More compact. More eco friendly. And as I talked to Chaim that afternoon at Pure Eatery in Fountain Square, I realized this invention was as much of a part of him as his wines. His brain and heart never seem to stop working, just creating more ways to share his passions with others in a simple, usable, form. Be it IN the glass, or on the way TO the glass.

The device looks like a beer tap on top but with 3 faucets. Under the bar is the keg which is a plastic ball about twice the size of a basketball in which are 3 bags made from low oxygen permeable plastic. Inside those bags are Chaim's wines. There are two lines from each faucet connecting to the plastic ball. One line goes into a wine bag and the other is filled with CO2 and goes into the space between the bag and the keg ball wall. When someone orders a glass, the faucet is pulled sending signals to the lines so the CO2 releases and adds pressure easing the wine from the bag to the tube to the faucet.

Chaim says the invention holds approximately 20 liters of wine or 2.2 cases. "But it is so much lighter, it has the heft of 1 case," he says. And when empty the wine keg system collapses and can be recycled.

So far only a handful of restaurants in the US are using Chaim's system including Pure Eatery and the Buddha Lounge in Indianapolis.

The day I interviewed Chaim I got to sample three of his wines from the system. The 2010 Zinfandel had a bit of "fizz" to it from the pressure. The flavor was jammy with notes of black berry and white pepper.

The 2009 Interlude is a blend of Syrah, Petite Syrah, Zinfandel and Primitivo. It offered up a much richer, deeper palate of black fruit and was pleasantly chewy with a long finish. The 2009 Syrah was a gorgeous deep garnet color with enticing aromas and flavors of black raspberry with nice acid and a rich, lush finish.

The artwork on the C. G. di Arie bottle features two lions. "Arie" means lion in Hebrew and his wife of 41 years, Elisheva, is the designer. Chaim also did a limited bottling of a syrah named for her, 2009 Elisheva Mon Amie. I asked him why he chose syrah to be the grape. "Because like her, it's very energetic yet temperamental. It is a huge wine but has plenty of gentleness and is not abrasive, like her," says her husband.

I asked Chaim if he planned to keep a bottle or two to open on their 50th Wedding Anniversary. His eyes twinkled. "I am sure it will still be drinking well," he said. Especially if its Syrah. www.cgdiarie.com