Devon wine buff called 'crazy English idiot' has the last laugh

Chris is smashing it in business

A wine importer that’s been hosting wine tasting events for the last two years is setting up shop in Bideford in North Devon.

Devonshire Cork and Vine is located on Butchers Row and opens today - May 24. It will showcase a variety of wines, beers and ciders, both local and imported from Europe. Executive Director Chris, has travelled the continent on the hunt for the best wines out there.

“When I started the business it was me by myself really, we’ve become an importer and it was hard getting into that. Our main selection has all been the legwork of me travelling Europe and meeting wine makers to get a portfolio together,” Chris said.

“With my Spanish supplier, we have such a good relationship from travelling and meeting. He used to import to the UK before Brexit and because of Brexit, it was taken away from him because of costs,” Chris said.

“His wines are amazing, he has some really great awards and now I’m his only importer and supplier of his wines in the UK. For him, it’s giving him that opportunity where he can sell his wines again within the UK. I’m really thankful that me and him have built this opportunity,” he added.

His suppliers weren’t always sure that his venture would be successful because the company is small.

“When I first approached one of my suppliers in France he thought I was a crazy English idiot, in his words ‘‘why you doing this, it won't work, you’re trying to do something that all the big players are doing’,” said Chris. “We’re one of the smallest importers in the UK and at the time he said I was crazy for doing this. I was getting a lot of people thinking that I wasn’t serious about doing it.”

That all changed after his business success in North Devon. Devonshire Cork and Vine hosts wine tasting events in the area that have become very popular. Their open event on June 20 in Ilfracombe has already sold out.

“When this business started we did promo events to try and get restaurants to sign up to us. The wine tasting events started out with just 10-15 people from local restaurants and then the general public caught wind of what was going on with it,” said Chris. “So over the last two years the events side has really grown and we’re doing on average 4-6 events a month across different locations with either private events or open events,” he adds.

The concept of the shop allows for bookings of up to four people to visit and have a sit-down wine tasting experience. They are licensed so that visitors can drink in the shop, or take it away and will be priced at £20 to try 5 different wines and to have a specialist talk from Chris himself.

“It isn’t just like your normal wine shop, what we’re doing is trying to make a place to come together to enjoy the wines and the beers,” said Chris. “It gives you the chance to try all these amazing wines at a lot lower price than what you would get in restaurants”.

Chris plans on switching out their wine selection each fortnight, they will have two white, two rose and two red varieties each time. The shop also hopes to stock both local and imported beers and ciders. Their local wine that will be in stock upon opening comes from Swanaford in Devon.

Chris likes to tell stories, and plans to include this in the experience. This way, guests can learn where their wine has come from and the grape’s origins whilst they taste.

“My wine tasting events are more about getting you thinking of wine a little bit differently, getting out of your comfort zone a bit. Because you’re only paying the £20, you’re not really losing anything from it because you’re gaining knowledge.” Chris said. “I like to tell stories about my winemakers, I’ve always got a good story to tell”.

The shop was never considered as an option in Bideford, until Chris won the local SavetheHighStreet competition ‘LaunchBideford’.

The initiative, in partnership with Torridge District Council and Bideford Town Council, was designed to help businesses grow and to turn empty shops into a thriving venture.

Chris has been based in Ilfracombe mostly and says the competition has offered him the opportunity to venture out.

“We weren't thinking of expanding, even though we do a lot of business towards Bideford and Westward Ho!, we weren’t thinking of doing the shop within Bideford. But because the competition came up it gave me another way of thinking,” Chris said.

“They gave us six months rent free,” he explained. “It takes the financial burden off you during the set up period because we were given the keys two months ago and it's taken two months [to set up] due to licensing. If it was us putting the money down that would have been two months that we would have had a shop there not earning any money”.

Chris believes his shop will help with footfall to Butchers Row and Bideford and allow more people to have access to good quality wines from across the sea. He is passionate about the wines that he sells and says that good quality and value are very important to him.

“I have had a lot of people messaging me over the last year from the Bideford area, since a lot of my events are based in Ilfracombe, they all seem really interested in trying the different wines,” he said. “I think it will brighten up people’s views and they can see different types of wine and often at a good price.”

“I have a very small team that helps me with events, we’re not buying it corporate, we’re buying with our hearts,” Chris said. “We can only buy a certain amount being a small business, and with wine being an expensive product that you’ve got to get from the other side of the world, it’s got to be something that we’re actually passionate about”.

Devonshire Cork and Vine will also host walk-in wine tasting if they have space on the day. The wines will be served with olives and with the beers, “an old-fashioned serving of peanuts,” Chris said.

The shop will be open Tuesday to Thursday between 12-5pm and 10-8pm, on Fridays and Saturdays. The shop will be closed on Sundays and Mondays but Chris says, once staffing is complete, times are subject to change.

Chris says the experience will be light-hearted and educational and hopes to expand his wine collection after they’ve settled.

“We want to keep it light-hearted so you’re enjoying it. You’re learning a little bit but it's more so you can come and enjoy yourself,” Chris said. “We’d like to use the new world - South America and Australia, we’re not really at the capacity yet where I can disappear off to Argentina for a couple months at a time, but that will come in the future”.