FROME’S first dedicated wine shop and wine bar, Stony Street House, will open on Saturday 16th February.
It was the vision of owner Kent Barker to create a stylish and welcoming space where wine is the focus, but which also provides coffee, pastries, small plates and pizza.
Kent said, “Currently there is no sole wine shop or wine bar in Frome. Therefore, a large proportion of the population is not catered to. We want to bring knowledge and breadth of wine with an independent business that is in keeping with the town and in keeping with what locals and visitors love about Frome.
“I have been in the business for many years, from having my own place in the mid 80s in Cambridge via a long career in the wine industry, to finding the best concept in the right building in the perfect location. This feels a personal project and one that is utterly exciting.”
The wine will be from around the world but with a strong focus on the Mediterranean, in particular France, Italy and Spain. There will be strong influence on sustainable, organic and biodynamic wines.
Head of wine, Sarah Helliwell, and Kent have personally hand-picked small producers who they have worked with in the past and have come to know well. There will also be vegan, vegetarian and natural wines.
The shop is looking to host a series of tastings and activations in the restaurant and wine bar. There will always be casual tastings happening in the shop where customers are encouraged to try new unusual wines from the staff picks of the week. There will also be more formal regional tastings, sparkling wine tastings, producer talks and longer courses for more in-depth learning.
The shop will have strong green credentials; along with the wine on tap there will be no single use plastic on site and they are aiming to be a zero-food waste restaurant too, so have begun talks with the Sustainable Restaurant Association. To help with this, they will be giving out a free costolata to the first 50 people who buy refill when the shop opens on Saturday 16 February. They will also be doing no corkage Mondays in the restaurant, so shelf price in the shop to drink in. Also available will be a discount available on all hot drinks if customers bring in their own reusable takeaway cups.
They are working closely with the local community; the majority of the staff are from the surrounding areas and they are also working with local suppliers including Ivy House Farm, Le Chasse, Yapp Brothers, Dusty Ape and Rupert’s Eggs, as well as looking to work with more.
Opening Hours: Monday – Wednesday: 09:00 – 22:00 Thursday – Saturday: 09:00 – 23:00 Sunday: 10:00 – 22:00. Address: 8 Stony St, Frome BA11 1BU. Website: www.stony streethouse.com. Enquiries: 01373 470970 /hello@ stonystreethouse.com
