Enoteca bar offers a taste of the best from around globe
ENCYCLOPAEDIC KNOWLEDGE
CONNOISSEURS of fine wine and a good time can find a unique and authentic experience perched around a barrel outside Farnham’s premier wine shop and enoteca bar
Step inside The Wine Yard – named among the UK’s best – and guests can find hand-picked bottles from every country and grape in the world.
The shop’s director, Nick Mantella, knows his wines. He was described by a customer as “a human textbook brimming with knowledge”.
Nick has worked in all walks of the wine industry and has 40 years of experience that he draws upon to curate The Wine Yard’s evolving selection. He claimed to have a supply route to most products that anybody could ask for and said he is constantly improving the range – which currently spans £7 to £320 for a bottle.
Nick, who takes huge pride in his shop and its unique offering, said: “We call it urban chic or London Borough Market meets Madrid or Rome in terms of the vibe and experience. What people really like, they like sitting in amongst the shop environment with the wines wrapped around them.”
The Wine Yard, off West Street, asserted its position as one of the country’s top merchants when it ranked for a second year on Harpers 50 Best Indies List. It was here judges deemed it to punch well above its weight after rating it well in both years it has been open.
Guests can choose from 600 wines, tuck into sharing platters of food, or join a tasting event led by a global expert. Nick said he loves creating a space where people can feel cosy and at home and where he can share all he knows and loves about wine.
The 62-year-old continued that to compete with supermarkets and big chains he felt he had to offer guests an experience. “So, to engage with the consumer, what we did was what’s known as ‘the hybrid’ which is where you can come, sit, and have a drink.”
Nick said the bar element of The Wine Yard has been unbelievably successful since the shop launched. He claimed the outside area meanwhile is packed in good weather with tables spread across Lion and Lamb Yard.
Enoteca bars have mixed origins that originate in Greece and largely Italy.
“What an enoteca is is somewhere where you come, meet, share and enjoy wines and local wines,” Nick said. “What we actually focus on is what we call wineries with a real global reach and reputation. Those wineries win lots of awards, then we taste their range, and select the ones we want to take from them.”
The bar itself can be treated like a huge wine list, according to one Google review, while on Tripadvisor Nick was described as a “human textbook brimming with knowledge”.
A review reads: “Abundant selection of wines and Nick the owner is literally a human textbook brimming with knowledge about wines. The cheese boards are fantastic, they also do great wine tasting evenings here and don’t skimp at all on the portions.”
The venue has near-perfect ratings on both sites. Local English sparkling wines are celebrated in the Farnham store with most wineries in Surrey and further afield stocked.
The Wine Yard has been joined on the Top 50 list by the county’s Taurus Wines in Bramley for the past two years.