COMINGS AND GOINGS

Noble Rot team join the retail club

Mark Andrew and Dan Keeling continue to grow their business with the launch of their first shop, situated close to Noble Rot restaurant, in Lamb’s Conduit Street in Bloomsbury, central London.

With its logo designed by Noble Rot magazine’s regular collaborator, Jose Miguel Mendez, Shrine to the Vine is instantly recognisable as part of the brand.

Andrew, who worked for Roberson for several years, says that both he and Keeling both “cut their teeth in retail,” so this development was perhaps inevitable.

“We had always said if the opportunity presented itself and the circumstances were right it would be something we’d love to do,” explains Andrew. “With our import company [Keeling Andrew] being in play for three or four years, we’ve got a lot of wine. And not just the wines we import, but from distributors including Les Caves de Pyrene, Tutto and Flint.

“Because of the lockdown and restaurants being closed, we had this stockholding that wasn’t moving through as quickly as it normally would and that maybe accelerated the idea of us turning our attention to this plan to do something in the retail sphere.

“We had looked at other areas and other sites but then an opportunity came up on Lamb’s Conduit Street, which is probably our favourite street in London.”

Callum Edge, previously of Taurus Wines, has joined the team as the digital manager.

“We’re very excited about that part of the business because it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the world is continuing to go with buying things online,” says Andrew.

“It’s a great way to be able to communicate with customers and not just focus on a local audience but increase that reach nationwide.”

The signage was created by Miguel Mendez, who also works on the magazine

So is Shrine to the Vine just the first of more shops to come from the pair?

“Well, we’re ambitious,” Andrew admits, “and we love the print and the restaurant industries and we’re excited to pursue projects we think are worthwhile.

“Through the restaurants and the magazine, we have a really great community of open-minded drinkers, people who want to discover new things and people who are intrigued by the best wines in the world.

“For now we’ve got a lovely premises and we’re building the online presence. We’re really excited about all of those things and we’ll see where it takes us.”

Mancs get ready for Gob to open

Ancoats in Manchester will soon be home to a new wine shop, restaurant and bar.

James Spalding has been planning the launch of Gob Manchester for some time, and with his hopes pinned on a Grade II listed building owned by Manchester city council, there were quite a few hoops to jump through. Spalding’s patience has finally paid off THE WINE MERCHANT september 2021 4

and renovations began during the first week of August. He says things are on track for a September or October opening.

“I’ve had an opportunity over the past year to take a step back and really think about the details, costs and menus,” says Spalding, who will be working as the head chef and leading the buying of the wine.

“Gob is a complete hybrid. It will be ontrade and off-trade and a restaurant with room for about 60 covers.”

He says the premises on George Leigh Street, initially built as the town’s first municipal housing project, is “a beautiful building with parquet flooring – but there are a lot of broken Victorian windows at the moment.

“There are some really interesting characters about and I’ve got a vision of some old dears coming in for a glass of oloroso sitting alongside the bearded hipsters drinking natural wines. If we can pull that off, it will be brilliant.”

• Chester indie Vinological has applied for permission to open a shop, deli, bar and tasting room at Brook Street in the city.

• Cheers, the wine shop in Denmead near Portsmouth, has closed. Owner Yvonne Cohen is now focusing on her restaurant.

A secret garden in Abergavenny

Abergavenny indie Chesters has moved from its premises in Lewis Lane to a new location a mile away in Cross Street.

The premises, which dates back to the 17th century, has previously been home to both Peter Dominic and Fosters Wine Merchants. Its most recent occupier was a vaping retailer.

The new site features a “secret garden” area allowing customers to enjoy their purchases on the premises.

Chesters was established in 2017 by Lloyd Beedell and Ben Southon.

Beedell says the move will enable the company not just to increase its drinking-in trade, but also focus more on its wholesale and online business.

“It’s a much bigger space for us, probably treble the retail space, and the courtyard means we can accommodate about 50 people compared to 12 before,” he adds.

“We’ve poured eight tonnes of concrete to create the patio. There’s a high wall that was part of St Mary’s priory and there are some lovely birch trees – it just feels like you could be in the middle of Rome.”

The famous mural of Chester the dog which adorned the frontage of the Lewis Lane site will eventually be recreated on the front of the new building.

Capital investment for Amathus

Amathus is opening its sixth London shop, bringing its estate size to eight.

The new store is in the heart of Notting Hill and it will carry “a comprehensive range of the speciality wines, spirits, liqueurs, craft beers and other drinks” in the Amathus range, many of which the company imports and distributes in the UK.

The Muswell Hill branch

Managing director Harry Georgiou says: “This store is the third we have opened in the last 10 months, following Muswell Hill and South Kensington, reflecting the growth ambitions we have in the business.”

Villeneuve closes Edinburgh branch

Villeneuve Wines has closed its Edinburgh store after 23 years at the Broughton Street site.

Owner Kenneth Brannan says the business will now focus on its Peebles branch, online sales and its trade division, all of which are “booming”.

He adds: “Our lease came up for renewal and I decided it wasn’t worth renewing it. The shop always covered its costs – just – but it is doing a third of what it was doing pre-pandemic.

“I think high street rents are the biggest challenge for retailers – so we are a fairly efficient and profitable small wine business which has become easier to run.

“We are having terrible problems shipping in wine from everywhere – just like everyone else. We won’t/can’t continue to buy from lots of our smaller producers and may revert to buying from UK wholesalers, which is against our principles – but the only option available at the moment.”

Crawling to St Neots

Matt Ellis of The Smiling Grape in St Neots is one of the independent trade’s more ambitious thinkers – witness the customer trips to Transnistria and North Korea, for example. Now he’s on a mission to become a record breaker.

If all goes to plan, Matt will take the official title for the most pubs visited in a 24-hour period, verified by the good people at Guinness, who have accepted his application to have a crack at the pub-crawling crown.

“I have to beat the current record of 50 pubs so will start in Cambridge and finish in our home town of St Neots,” Matt explains.

“The rules are to visit as many pubs as possible and 125ml of any drink has to be consumed in each venue. Some of my customers will be acting as official witnesses for payment in beer.”

He adds: “The rules state that the record attempt has to be by foot or public transport only. So we will be walking or catching a bus.”

Old ideas for Nouveau

Beaujolais Nouveau Day has got a bit too bogged down in logistical admin for the liking of Robert Boutflower at Tanners.

“We’ve got to think outside the box, and I say that the French mustn’t release a single bottle until midnight on Thursday, November 18,” he declares, waving a dismissive arm at the fourweek shipping window.

“Then let the mad-cap race of olden days be re-run: classic cars full of Champagne Charlies, peleton pushers dragging ergonomic carts crammed with bottles, and madmen in Montgolfier balloons who will probably end up in the Alps instead. All must run the gamut of British Customs, test negative for Covid at least five times and still present a breakfast glassful to Boris with his kippers at the Ritz! Oh the good old days, eh?” Not everyone shares Boutflower’s enthusiasm for Nouveau, especially not French-born Derbyshire merchant Pierre Hourlier.

“It’s a quickly-made wine, quickly drunk and quickly forgotten,” he scoffs.

Kazakhstan and Russia join forces

Bakeries which also have a specialism in wine are a small but growing breed. The latest is Irene in Camberwell, south London, which opened last month.

Owner Andrey Gusak admits the wine element of the scheme came a bit later as initially the project consisted of just the bakery, headed up by his wife Maria. “We decided to join forces,” he says, “and now it is a family business with Maria’s parents helping out with investment and her sister doing the graphic design.”

Gusak’s love of old-world wine was honed during a year spent in Paris and fine tuned during a recent stint at Albertine in Shepherds Bush, from where he is buying some of his range. Sip Champagne is another supplier.

“I am focusing on wines from France, Italy and Spain,” he says, “mostly organic wines from small producers and wines that are a true reflection of their terroir. I don’t want to limit myself, but for now these are what I know best.”

The name Irene honours Maria’s mother and “represents her spirit of hospitality, but it also reflects our home countries,” explains Gusak.

“I am from Russia and Maria is from Kazakhstan where the hospitality culture is very strong. We consider ourselves to be international and we take our inspiration from many places. We are borrowing the best things from every culture that we love.”

The new business has been well received by Camberwell locals, who, reports Gusak, are keen for couple to begin their evening service when they will be able to buy wine by the glass and enjoy some cold cuts.

“Camberwell is quite residential, and it feels very relaxed with a nice local feel,” he adds. “So far the shop has been overwhelmingly successful.”

Grape Minds opens second site

This month Grape Minds is expanding beyond its home at Summertown in Oxford to open a second shop in the nearby market town of Wallingford.

After three years of trading, owners Graeme Woodward and Michael Jelley have decided the time is right to grow their brand.

“I have had some previous experience selling wine in south Oxfordshire, mainly for delivery,” says Woodward, “and always felt there was a gap in the market for an independent merchant in the area. Michael, with close friends in Wallingford, has loved the town for many years.”

The pair say that the wine range will remain “broadly the same” as the Summertown shop.

The Twisted Cellar in Bishops Stortford has closed.

Established in 2018 by Joe and Sharon Grice and most recently managed by Iain Allcott, the business cited the Covid pandemic as the primary reason for its closure at the beginning of August.

Part of the message on the shop website reads: “We tried everything we absolutely could but the devastating effect of the pandemic in the end was too much.

“Despite hope that an ease in restrictions over the last few months would generate a much-needed upturn in trading income, it has become apparent that low customer numbers, uncertainty around trading, mounting creditors and rent arrears have left us with no alternative.”

The premises, inspired by a French vineyard house, combined a retail and bar area.

The firm did well with outside events

Twisted Cellar is a Covid casualty

• Raffles, the wine shop in Nailsworth in the Cotswolds, is on the market. See the advertisement on page eight for more details.

WE’VE GOT A RHINO!

Many thanks to Bruce Evans of Grape & Grain in Crediton who has kindly adopted a black rhino at Paignton Zoo on behalf of The Wine Merchant.

We’re hiring!

We’re looking for a new, full time member to join our lovely team in East Dulwich. You will be helping with the day-to-day running of the shop floor and terrace.

Retail experience and an interest in wine is essential.

Please apply to info@lacavedebruno.com for more details

NOT YOU AGAIN! customers we could do without 27. Robin Fotherage

Now I think someone’s getting in a bit of a muddle … the girl who filled glass number one said that was the Syrah, but then when we started tasting you said glass two was the Syrah, so I switched them around, but I’m pretty sure that’s actually the Pinot Noir, which I think is supposed to be wine number four … now I thought that was the one you said was corked, so I poured it into what I thought was a spare glass, which I now understand was supposed to be for the Grenache, which I didn’t get … the confusing thing is that I think I actually got two glasses of the Carignan, so I gave one of them to my wife, but she put it on the mat where the Grenache was supposed to go and ended up with seven wines instead of six … I only had the slightest dribble of the Cabernet Sauvignon, but the girl topped it up with what I think was the Merlot – whoever heard of a blend like that? – so that went in the spittoon and now I’m told the bottle’s empty … well, good luck with the video feed from the vineyard, I hope you manage to get a connection with José or Gonzalo or whatever his name is … we actually have to make a move now … cheerio!

Supplier of wine boxes and literature

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01323 728338 • sales@eastprint.co.uk • www.eastprint.co.uk Congratulations to the five Wine Merchant reader survey respondents whose names were drawn at random and who each win a Coravin, courtesy of ANAGRAM TIME our partner Hatch Mansfield. Can you unscramble the names of these UK wine importers? If so, you win a ping pong ball signed by Sade. Peter Fawcett, Field & Fawcett, York Anthony Borges, 1. New Silty Brie The Wine Centre, 2. Chef Halts Admin Great Horkesley, Essex3. Dromedary Nylons Zoran Ristanovic, City Wine Collection, 4. Caned – Severe Yelps London5. Bedlam Latrine

SANCERRE JOINS THE FAMILY

Family-owned Domaine Vacheron is a great fit for Pol Roger Portfolio. Not only does it fill an important gap in the range, but the owners share a winemaking philosophy with their new stablemates

Pol Roger Portfolio has ventured into Sancerre for the first time by welcoming Domaine Vacheron to its line-up.

This family-owned operation is one of the region’s foremost producers, making exceptional white, red and rosé Sancerre.

Jean-Dominique and Jean-Laurent Vacheron, two cousins who represent the fourth generation, are currently at the helm of the historic estate, located in the medieval heart of Sancerre.

Under their direction, the Domaine has embraced sustainable practices, converting to biodynamics in the early millennium and achieving certification in 2005. The rejection of chemicals, coupled with hand-harvesting of the grapes, means that yields are typically low. Their no-shortcuts approach in the vineyard pays dividends in the winery; even in the most challenging of vintages, they reliably produce wines of exacting quality.

The estate comprises 70 hectares, with a combination of agricultural land, forest and 50 hectares of vineyard, 38 of which are planted with Sauvignon Blanc and 12 with Pinot Noir, including some of the most coveted parcels in the appellation. Unusually for Sancerre, parcels are vinified separately.

The soils are equal parts limestone (caillotte) and flint (silex), with 10% cretaceous marl. Limestone contributes to balanced acidity in the grapes, whilst flint provides attractive aromas and minerality and marl brings a unique texture.

The Vacheron wines now sit alongside the outstanding range of family-owned

The 50ha estate includes 38ha of Sauvignon Blanc and 12ha of Pinot Noir

producers represented by Pol Roger Portfolio. Together with Champagne Pol Roger, the agency wine range now comprises Bodegas Artadi, Maison Joseph Drouhin, Domaine Josmeyer, Robert Sinskey Vineyards, Staglin Family Vineyard, Abreu, Gallica, Kinsman Eades, TOR Wines and Grand Tokaj as well as Glenfarclas Highland Single Malt.

James Simpson MW, managing director of Pol Roger Portfolio, says: “We are thrilled to welcome the Vacheron family and their wines this summer. Their bright and balanced, fruit-forward wines typify the very best of Sancerre.”

Laurent d’Harcourt, CEO of Champagne Pol Roger, adds: “On meeting the Vacherons, it was immediately clear to me that we share the same approach to winemaking, unique to family-owned producers; a commitment to honouring tradition and upholding the highest standards.”

Jean-Laurent Vacheron says: “We are delighted to join Pol Roger Portfolio and establish a quality distribution network, both for our existing customer base and to reach new customers in the UK. This move will strengthen an historical connection with the UK market.”

For more information visit www.polroger.co.uk or call 01432 262800 Twitter: @Pol_Roger