Wine merchant remains bullish about future

TAURUSWines was founded on a farm in the heart of the Surrey Hills in 2001 by wine-lover Rupert Pritchett and his wife Fliss. Initially, it was a mail-order operation working out of a 17th-century cowshed (hence the name, the sign of the zodiac for the bull) with the shop opening a year later. Over the years, the business has picked up many awards and accolades, while concentrating on supplying the good people of Surrey and Sussex with great wines.

“Since lockdown, our contactless click & collect service has been extremely popular,” explains Rupert. “It’s simple and, most importantly, safe. But we can also deliver nationwide via our courier or locally using our own vans. We’ve been very fortunate in being allowed to keep trading and I’m delighted to provide some cheer, while helping other small businesses such as a neighbouring florist and pet food shop by delivering their goods with our vans.”

After a successful crowdfunding campaign in 2017,Taurus Wines expanded into a beautifully renovated 400-year-old barn near Guildford with a bespoke cellar and climatecontrolled fine wine cabinet, as well as three state-of-the-art wine dispensing machines, meaning 24 wines are available to taste every day.This new space ushered in a roster of dinners, wine school classes and other private events.

“Once this is all over, I’m looking forward to getting our vintage Citroen H Van, Brigitte Bordeaux, back on the road,” laughs Rupert. “She’s converted into a wine and cocktail bar – and bound to get those post-pandemic parties started.”

One bonus to being in the industry for so long is Rupert’s little black book of small growers worldwide. “I’ve been importing from some of these families for almost two decades,” he says. “Their wines are second to none.”

Take a look at his five favourites – you can order via tauruswines.co.uk – and see what you think.

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