Yorkshire's independent wine retailers are flourishing and here's why

“The support we have had from them has been fantastic,” he said.

To demonstrate just how busy he has been, Julian is now, apparently, a lot trimmer. “One week my phone registered that I had done 150,000 steps. It has been tiring but the most rewarding experience.” He has been consigned to the warehouse since lockdown, organising stock and packing boxes which are delivered free within a radius of 20 miles.

“The mixed cases have been very popular, but customers have also been very open to trying new wines. Some just tell us what they liked from previous orders and we find new wines for them to try. And we are still acquiring new customers which is wonderful. There is one street in Skipton where we used to have just one customer and over the weeks their neighbours all started ordering – and that is the way it has been during this period. In the past, people used us for their special occasion wines, but now they realise that we have decent kit at all prices. We have also had great success with a five-litre bag-in-box beer from the local Lamb Brewery Company.”

Over at Chez Vin in Otley, David Lawson has also been extremely busy. “We never really pushed the home delivery side of things before, but now most of our customers prefer to buy that way.” Chez Vin does not have a website but if you register for David’s regular emails, he sends you a list of everything in the shop. “This is much easier to keep up to date, and I also add my delivery schedule to the email so customers know when I am in their area.”

He’s found that he has an adventurous set of customers. “They tell us what styles they like and ask for recommendations.” He is also planning a set of online gin tastings in collaboration with local distilleries.

The plan is to send out miniatures of gin, then arrange a Zoom online tasting with the distiller. So far, he has two local distilleries signed up, so if you are interested, contact Chez Vin. The shop is open on Saturday mornings mainly for order collection, but you can ring between 10am and 1pm each day to place your order, for collection or delivery.

The shop at York Wines in Sheriff Hutton is also open but you can’t go in. “We put the shop counter across the doorway so when customers order their wine, we pack it up and they tell us when they are outside,” said co-owner Alex Edwards.

“That way contact is kept to a minimum. Although we don’t actually see our customers much, we are talking to them a lot. If people like a particular wine, we put a note in their cases with suggestions of the wines they might enjoy. Often, they will ring up for a chat and we can talk about new additions to the range. We have a new Chardonnay from Domaine des Tilleuls in the Loire that is going down extremely well and there is a shipment of new Riojas on their way.”

The lease is up on Hoults Wine Merchant shop in Castlegate in Huddersfield but it is not going far. The past couple of weeks has seen Rob Hoult and his team fit out the new shop which is in the railway arches just across the car park from the old shop. The entrance is on Viaduct Street, but if you forget it has moved you just have to turn around from the old shop to see the new shop sign.

“This move has given us the chance to reduce the number of lines we are listing, which makes them a lot easier to move but we still have plenty of stock,” said Rob. The current shop is closed, but if you order wine you can still come and collect it, and it will be the same for the new shop for the time being. “We expect to open by August 7, although if you normally phone your order through you really won’t notice since the phone number will remain the same.”

Meanwhile, home deliveries are continuing with free delivery for orders over £75 in HD and HX postcodes and frequently into LS and BD postcodes too. “We have found that our mixed cases are tremendously popular but if you want to try something new, we are always happy to suggest wines. We have built up a terrific level of trust with our customers and they really seem to like our suggestions. Wine retailing has changed dramatically over recent months, but we have grown closer to our customers. This really has been the silver lining of lockdown.”

If you have enjoyed buying wine from your local independent wine merchant during lockdown, consider staying with them. Every one of our Yorkshire merchants has a hand-selected range of wines that you just cannot find in supermarkets. Every bottle they sell puts their reputation on the line and if you don’t like something you can go back and they will probably find something more to your taste next time.

With home deliveries, online tastings, a personalised wine advice service and people who really appreciate your custom, your local independent wine merchant has a great deal to offer.

Here are some of Yorkshire’s best:

Bon Coeur Fine Wines, Melsonby, www.bcfw.co.uk, tel. 01325 776446

Chez Vin, Otley, 01943 466143

Field & Fawcett, York, www.fieldandfawcett.co.uk, 01904 489073

Flourish & Prosper, Howden, www.flourish-and-prosper.com, 01430 430006

Hoults, Huddersfield, www.hoults.com, 01484 510700

Harrogate Fine Wine Co., www.harrogatefinewinecompany.com, 01423 522270

Latitude Wines, Leeds, www.latitudewine.co.uk, 0113 245 3393

Martinez Wines, Ilkley and Bingley, www.martinez.co.uk, 01943 600000

Penistone Wine Cellars, Penistone, www.pcwine.co.uk, 01226 767310

Roberts & Speight, Beverley, www.robertsandspeight.co.uk, 01482 870717

Yorkshire Vintners, Ripon, www.yorkshirevintners.co.uk 01765 601701

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