A new Ecclesall Road wine shop is set to open its doors tomorrow night (Friday 11 November), offering Sheffield wine-lovers a huge selection of beautiful wines to be enjoyed either at home or in the shop’s upstairs drinking area.
Gills & Co will eventually boast a whopping selection of around 300 wines, and will have over 100+ (as well as a coupla beers, if that’s more your thing) when they open to the public. The wines will cover a variety of price points to suit all budgets, with much of their range focusing on some of the best wines that hail from right here on our little island.
All the wines will be available to drink in by the bottle or glass at retail prices, giving customers great value for money on high quality wines, if they choose to sit in and enjoy a drop in the cosy upstairs space.
The new venture comes from Andy Trudgill, who has over 20 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, owning his own wholesale company, as well as previously being at the forefront of Sheffield bar’s like Bamboo Door and The Parrot Club. Andy will be manning the shop along with sommelier Tom Claxton, who boasts seven years’ experience working in the trade.
Explaining the concept of the shop, Andy told Exposed: “We’re not a natural wine bar. That’s the fashionable thing right now and there’s a lot of that around, but it’s not a sector of the market that thrills me. It’s all about deliciousness, for me.
“There will be some more interesting, weird and wonderful wines, but I’d say it’s fairly classical and we will be highlighting English wine. It’ll be an ongoing process, finding the best of English wine, because there is some really great wine, but it changes so radically with the year.
“For example, 2018 is the best year England’s ever had. It was like the perfect storm for beautiful wine. The 19 is not quite as good, so it’s all about finding the best that’s out there.”
Tom added: “I think one things that sets us apart is that all the wines are ready to drink, you can just pop it open, and it’s got some age to it, and it’s ready to jump into. That’s a big part of it. You don’t see that very often.”
“It’s also going to be a regularly changing list. We’ve already said we’re going to keep it seasonal.”
They also plan to host regular tasting events, where you might sample 15 – 20 wines in a sitting, with the hope you’ll find something exciting that you might never have tried before.
Andy explained: “Rather than really specific tastings, like wines of the Rioja or whatever, it will be more about finding flavours that you like. You can come and taste maybe 15 to 20 wines, a little bit of each, because you may have never had a Chardonnay that you like, but Chardonnay comes in so many forms from cheap, Aussie Chardonnay, to a £100 pound a bottle Montrachet, from Burgundy. The idea is you come along and find out what you like.”
As well as the wines, they will also be offering charcuterie and cheese boards, which will again focus on the best of British produce.
“We’re focusing on British products where we can, because it’s really important to us. If you go to any other country, they’re really proud of what they produce. At some point, you’ve got to draw a line in the sand and say, ‘I’m going to support local. I’m going to support British. I’d love to get to a stage where everything we sell is British.
“This is something I’ve always wanted to do and now feels like the right time. I’m really excited. I’ll probably be nervous tomorrow, but there’s a definite sense of pride in seeing it all come together, because I’ve done it all on my own. I can’t wait to get going.”
Gills and Co can be found in 525 Ecclesall Road and is open 7-days-a-week. Go give them a nudge on socials here.
