The Wine Merchant Magazine
An independent magazine for independent retailers
  • Home
  • Articles
  • Survey of Independents 2025
  • About
    • Meet the Team
    • Editorial Policy
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Digital Editions
    • Subscriptions
  • Contact
  • The Wine Merchant Top 100

Updated graphic shows the true cost of wine

Bibendum’s Vinonomics diagram takes duty rise into account
Read More

Duty increase continues “doom loop”

WSTA warns Chancellor’s decision will result in falling sales
Read More

Hallgarten boss to step down after 16 years

No successor has yet been named for Andrew Bewes
Read More

MERCHANT PROFILE: GOLBORNE WINE & DELI

Graham Holter enjoys some time in a Notting Hill hot spot
Read More

The Vineking crashes with £800k debts

Erik Laan’s new company means Reigate branch is still trading
Read More

German wine harvest hits 15-year low

Rheinhessen alone is down 23% thanks partly to autumn rains
Read More

All Articles

Filter by Category

Filters
Reset

Beeswing opens in Manchester

Wine bar and shop is part of the city’s Kampus development
Read More

Broadway to recruit franchisees

Worcestershire indie aims to expand wholesale activities
Read More

Lobby your MP about chaotic duty plans

Download this template letter and spell out how the wine trade will be damaged
Read More

Indies blame Brexit for shipping delays

80% of merchants are facing long waits on wines shipped from the EU
Read More

Vinoteca expands beyond London

Sixth site opens near London Bridge, with a Birmingham branch on the way
Read More

Vinotopia to be reborn in a barn

New Gloucestershire store will incorporate Brown & Green farm shop
Read More

French group opens first UK shop

Vins & Bières has started its British expansion in Northampton
Read More

Half Cut’s plans are fully formed

New Islington indie offers draught wine and craft beer
Read More

Rising Stars: Roxane Gosse

Michelin-star restaurant manager is enjoying life at Blanco & Gomez
Read More

Why not blend vintages?

With weather increasingly erratic, producers need to think creatively
Read More

Bright Ideas: Cocktail Class

Winyl teams up with Niche Cocktails for a memorable evening
Read More

‘We’re selling happiness’

There are few reasons to frown at The Smiling Grape in St Neots
Read More

The Kiwi condundrum

Demand is high for NZ wines, but supply remains under pressure
Read More

The modern face of Rioja and Ribera

Assessing developments in two of Spain’s most recognised regions
Read More

The dark arts of porter and stout

Brewers are coming up with original takes on some old styles
Read More

BBC man joins wine trade

Former journalist Derek Crookes launches Kernow Wine
Read More

The flying sourcer of Somerset

Former RAF engineer Tim Pearce now runs ‘an adult sweet shop’
Read More

Bright Ideas: Recipe suggestions

Chefs provide inspiration for Camber Wines customers
Read More
Previous 1 … 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 … 24 Next

Refine your search by category:

Filters
Reset
Read the Current Issue
Supplement
Advertisement

Recent Digital Editions

Issue 151 (October 2025)
Issue 150 (September 2025)
Issue 149 (August 2025)
Issue 148 (July 2025)
Issue 147 (June 2025)
View More Editions

Sign up for our Newsletter

Latest from Instagram

Our final (and biggest) issue of 2025 is landing n Our final (and biggest) issue of 2025 is landing now, with an early Christmas gift of a 2026 wall planner. Never miss Xinomavro Day again!

As always there is loads going on in this edition, but that goes without saying, because the independent trade is where the fun happens. We do our best to report on it all, and throw in a few cartoons and silly captions along the way.

We next publish in January but we'll keep the website up to date in the meantime.
Issue 151 of The Wine Merchant is here. What's i Issue 151 of The Wine Merchant is here. 

What's inside? Nasty scammers, majestic hawks, repurposed wine bottles, guilt pangs, bleeding cocoa nibs, Sting (the singer), stings (from bees), 10,000 wine louts, people who lie about chocolate, hedonistic vermouth, Torres v Walkers, hairdresser puns, Lennon and McCartney in the northern Rhône, sesquiterpene rotundone, Leicester City and a small cheese sandwich. 

See if you can spot them all!
So sorry to hear of the passing of Peter Hall, pio So sorry to hear of the passing of Peter Hall, pioneer of English sparkling wine, self-proclaimed hermit and a wonderful raconteur who was generous with his time. Anyone with a bottle of Breaky Bottom in their collection will be toasting the memory this week of a lovely man.

Report on the Wine Merchant website, where you can also read the Q&A we did with Peter in 2022. It was the best article we ran that year – and perhaps in any year. RIP.
We used to be the only wine magazine in the world We used to be the only wine magazine in the world to publish album reviews. Now we're the only one with a psychotherapy column.

Plus: a horrible quiz, a stupid cartoon, in-store opera, people covered in treacle, the black hole of wine retailing, disappointing Belgian cuisine, and David Perry's plums.

Open your copy now while it's still got that strangely intoxicating aroma.
The 149th edition of The Wine Merchant is out ther The 149th edition of The Wine Merchant is out there in the wild. A huge milestone. We enjoyed putting it together for you and yesterday we celebrated its publication by tasting so much vermouth that parts of our mouths are jammed into unfamiliar positions and we’re talking in Dutch accents. Other than that, all good thanks 🤜
Loads of new openings, relocations and expansions Loads of new openings, relocations and expansions to read about in the latest edition of The Wine Merchant. But no closures. 

As Kate Goodman of Reserve Wines tells us in her interview, it's "probably as hard as it's ever been" for indies to keep going. But that's exactly what they're doing – and store numbers continue to rise.

All content © Copyright 2025 Graham Holter Ltd

Registered in England: No 6441762 | VAT 943 8771 82

Privacy Policy
Website Designed & Built by Digital Fuse