London’s best new independent merchants

Against the near certainty that wine prices will creep up in 2017, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the tag end of 2016 was not an auspicious time to open an independent retail shop in the UK – but the following new openings demonstrate the resilience and opportunities within the market.    

Burgess & Hall, Forest Gate

Two wine events managers who previously ran a Jeroboams store have opened an independent wine shop in East London.

Paul Burgess and Rosamund Hall opened Burgess & Hall in a railway arch in Forest Gate earlier this month, after several years operating their own wine-based events business in the local area which included supper clubs and tastings. Hall said the area near Epping Forest, which is soon to benefit from the new Elizabeth line currently being built by Crossrail, had provided a great location to grow the business and establish a permanent base.

“The area is changing rapidly and there is a community feel so we wanted a place where people can explore the things we’re passionate about in a friendly neighbourhood,” she said.

The shop is a mixture of retail and wine lounge, with sofas and a bar where customers can buy wine by the glass with a “moderate” mark-up and flat rate corkage fee of £6

“We don’t want to compete with the mults, we want wines with a sense of place that offers outstanding value at every price point, whether that is for that night or for a special occasion,” Hall told db.

“In London, there is always room for more [independents] – there is a more versatile approach to how wine is bought and consumed,” she added.

By the end of January, it will stock around 400 – 500 lines, predominantly from smaller independent producers and under-represented regions, with a rotating selection of around ten wines at the weekend, which Hall said would help build trust while exploring new things. Italy is a strong focus, along with Spain and France, particularly the South-West, Australia and South Africa. Entry level wines will start at round £7.90 a bottle, with a broader range at the £8-14 mark, Hall said.

Hall said that despite the uncertainties posed by Brexit, the duo’s existing business had reached a point where it needed to develop and grow. “We needed to take the next step and youu can’t put things on hold out of fear,” she argued, adding that it also tapped into consumers’  ppetite for “local” and neighbourhood amenities, which provided opportunities for smaller, more boutique producers.

“We are already seeing prices rise and we are trying to keep them keen, but people aren’t coming to us for loss-leaders, they are coming to explore wine and hopefully, we can build on that.”

Streatham Wine House

Jimmy Smith, who founded the West London Wine School, opened The Streatham Wine House in October, with his wife Bethany Paterson-Smith and partner Matt Wicksteed after raising more than £6,000 through a crowd-funding platform gogetfunding.

Smith said there was a huge gap in the market for a good independent wine shop, in the area which has “huge potential” as it undergoes increasing ‘gentrification’.

The new shop comprises a large bar area with a smaller retail area, and has a list of around 200 wines. Around 36 are available by the glass and a further 20 fine wines available using the Coravin system, with customers able to buy a 50ml sample or a 125ml glass.

Given Smith’s background it is unsurprising that there is a “massive focus” on wine education, and the team have rolled out a mix and match wine flight which offers three 50ml tasters of wines from the list to help consumers, which are presented with wooden glass holder which includes flavour wheels to help explain the wines. These have proved popular, Smith said and already account for around 50% of sales.

“In the three months since we opened, we’ve hardly sold any house wine – even though it is really good!” Smith says.

Rather than charge corkage for wine bought and drunk on the premises, the team are going for the opposite approach – wine are charged at bar prices with a flat rate price knocked off the price of a bottles if it is bought to take away. This amounts to around £15 off a bottle priced at £25 or over, or £10 off the price of a bottle under £25.

The range is inspired by the team’s reoccurring travels through Europe in their orange camper van (known as ‘Jeff’), with a heavy focus on wines from the Loire – around 25-30 wines in the 200-strong range – as well as regional France including Savoie and Jura, and Spain. Currently there are only around 30 New World Wines, but Smith is planning visits to the US and South Africa in 2017.

Smith says ‘Jeff’s involvement’ adds brings an extra dimension to its communication with customers as well as the range itself. They have met many of their producers and camped in the vineyards – and this provides a very personal story that is easily communicated to the consumer – particularly as ‘Jeff’ and the team have been painted onto the back wall of the shop by a Brixton graffiti artist.

“It makes it easier for the staff to describe it,” Smith says.

Although the two businesses are completely separate, there are some areas of overlaps, Smith points out – particularly in attracting wine producers and winemakers to events. “We have around 20 suppliers who we have a very good relationship with, and they can do a tasting at the Wine Bar one evening, following by a more wine education focused event at the Wine School the next,” he said. “They are not mutually exclusive, but it is helpful for both of us.”

The Wine Twit

Opened in September, the Wine Twit on the borders of Balham and Wandsworth has been in planning for two years before a suitable premises was found.

But founder Jez Greenspan agreed with Rosamund Hall of Burgess & Hall that uncertainty shouldn’t stand in people way, noting that otherwise “there is never a good time to open!”

Having worked in an independent shop throughout the recession, he noted that despite the squeeze on consumer spending, people had been happy to spend on wine rather than going out. “And we’re continuing to see that,” he added.

The shop is 100% retail – although Greenspan is keen to add wines by the glass in due course – and specialises in “smaller producers who go under the radar”. However he is keen to keep the 200-strong wine range broad, stocking wines prices between £7 – 70. It includes wines from Greece and Majorca in addition to Germany, Austria, France, the US, South America, Australian and New Zealand, as well as less mainstream up and coming varieties such as Torrontes from Argentina, Bobal and Mencia from Spain and “interesting varieties from Italy”.

He notes that although a core of his customers want only Bordeaux, Burgundy and other traditional choices, the majority are happy to experiment and be advised.

Also new this month is Artisan & Vine in London’s Putney and wine bar and shop Oak N4 – but it is not just London that is grabbing the attention. Other recent additions include Covino in Chester, beer and bottle shop Art & Craft in Norwood, and Vessel Plymouth.