Published September 11th, 2019
A Cornish wine merchant has been named the UK’s best independent retailer by drinks industry bible Harpers Wine & Spirit.
BinTwo, a hybrid wine cellar, bar and coffee shop in the harbour town of Padstow, has topped the list of The UK’s 50 Best Indies 2019.
The awards ceremony took place on 9 September 2019 at London’s Honourable Artillery Company. Organised by Harpers, the awards celebrate the best independent wine merchants in the UK.
The judging panel was made up of industry specialists and producers, who judged the nominations, made by people in the trade, on their innovation, service and sustainability.
Commenting on the high calibre of nominations, the judges said: “Compiling our UK’s 50 Best Indies list is always a challenge and is less about which is the biggest – as this year’s winner shows – but rather which businesses are proving successful, innovative, sustainable and a fantastic example of modern wine retailing.
“BinTwo is a vibrant modern benchmark among wine merchants in the UK.”
Recognised for making wine fun and its have-a-go approach, BinTwo’s plans for a micro winery in Cornwall stood out, along with its thriving reputation as a community hub and specialist merchant.
BinTwo’s owner Mike Boyne said: “I’m stunned, winning this award was completely unexpected.
“It’s surreal to think we are up with some of the big boys in the industry. I’ve always been in awe of what they do, and in comparison I’ve always felt it must look like we spend our time messing about.
“Speaking with some of the panel, they like our sense of play, that we’re always taking on projects and trying something new. For example, we’ve already made our own gin and worked with winemakers to produce our ‘Jammy Git’ wine brand.
“We’re currently working with a local winemaker to produce something I don’t think has been made in Cornwall before. This will be on sale at the shop from spring 2020, and if all goes well we have ideas for what I think would be the smallest winery in the country.”
BinTwo stocks a wide range of carefully chosen wines, Champagnes and spirits, serving a selection by the glass giving people the opportunity to try something a little different. It also runs Meet the Winemaker and Flight Club events, matching a flight of wines with food whilst listening to a guest speaker talk about the wine region.
For more information, visit bintwo.com.
