Sarah Hatton and Virginia Myers, who met while working at StarmoreBoss in Sheffield, have opened their own wine shop in the city under the name Tenaya.
“We were sad to leave,” admits Myers, “but they have been very supportive. Barry [Starmore] has already popped in and they’ve all offered help if we need it. There aren’t many wine places in Sheffield so there is room for both of us.”
Both shops may be on the same side of town, but topography ensures a significant separating factor. “We’re at the top of a really steep hill,” says Myers. “We are a couple of miles away and StarmoreBoss is right down in the valley.
“It seems that people have really been wanting a wine shop and bar here for a while and they’re pretty excited, so it’s great. There is lots of residential nearby and they use this high street. There’s a good mixture of people – long-term Sheffield residents as well as London transplants and people who have stayed on after university.”
Tenaya is working with suppliers including Alliance, Wines Under the Bonnet, Wayward, Flint and Indigo. Myers says: “We’ve got a broad spectrum of wine but we are aiming to specialise in California. It’s just hard to get it at the right price bracket, but we have found some lovely stuff.
“We’ve probably got more French wine at the moment. We’re trying to get things that are female-produced and which are sustainable. Obviously not everything is female-produced because that can also be hard to find, but we are trying to focus on those things.”
The premises includes a bar area to seat about 15 and Myers says there will be a list of wines available by the glass.
“This will change regularly as we’ve got the whole shop to choose from,” she explains.
“It will just give people a chance to try, and of course they can pick any bottle off the shelf or out of the fridge and drink in for a small corkage fee.”
The pair will also be stocking a “small spirits range”, which includes Californian gin and vodka from St George Distillery and tequila from Ten Locks.
“We’re leaving the serious spirit sales to Jeff [Boss],” admits Myers. “He’s got everything under the sun.”
