New independent wine shop and bar for Chester

A former wine importer is opening up a new artisan wine shop and bar in Chester.

Covino is set to open this Thursday (picture credit @HairyMitten)

Covino, which will open this week in Rufus Court, a small courtyard close to the cathedral in the centre of Chester, will specialise in biodynamic and organic wines from slightly more obscure areas, founder Christopher Laidler told db.

The small shop was Laidler’s interpretation of an ‘enoteca’, he said, allowing customer to buy bottles of wine at retail price to take away or pay a small corkage fee to drink on-site alongside a selection of artisan cheeses and charcuterie. The small 300 sq ft site seats around 12 people,

Following a three-year Viticulture and Oenology degrees at Plumpton College and a graduate traineeship at Majestic, Laidler spent more than three years as key account manager at start-up importer and distributor, The Knotted Vine. The company, which was set up by Emirate Group wine buyer David Knott in 2013, focussed primarily on the London restaurant scene, but also developed a customer-base in the North West, Laidler said, including restaurants such as Sticky Walnut in Chester, Burnt Truffle and Hispi, Joseph Benjamin, and The Chef’s Table.

Laidler said his involvement in setting up The Knotted Vine, which specialises in handcrafted, organic and natural wines had sparked a thirst for minimal intervention wines “made by true artisans”.

“The enoteca concept is popular on the continent, especially in Italy, but it has become a firm favourite for wine drinkers in London who like the all-in-one feel of the shop and bar. This is why I’ve decided to go it alone and open my very own enoteca in my home town of Chester, where I believe the climate is ripe for something a little more specialist and wine focused,” he said.

The shop will stock a selection of wines, the majority exclusively imported to the UK by small, quality focused importers, including The Knotted Vine.

“Don’t expect to see labels you recognise, but do expect to discover grape varieties you may not have heard of before from lesser known wine producing regions from around the world,” Laidler said.