Last summer Fells pulled off a significant coup by taking on distribution for the Hill Smith family’s Negociants portfolio. Until that point, the likes of Yalumba, Oxford Landing and Vasse Felix had been distributed by Negociants UK, which the Hill Smith family decided to close. Fells hired eight members of the Negociants UK team and sold a 10% stake in its business to the…

If you take a leisurely drive through the English countryside – imagine, perhaps, a journey through some of the sleepy villages of Kent or Sussex – you would be hard pushed not to spot some vines growing somewhere in the distance. The record numbers of vines being planted in the UK is not “new” news, neither is the success of England’s sparkling wines with award-…

Think Rum 2019 has revealed further details of the three rum masterclasses, which will take place throughout the day. Those attending the event, which takes place on January 29 at Smith & Wollensky in Central London, will have the chance to sign up for three separate masterclasses. For Think Rum 2019, these masterclasses will be: 12.15: ‘What’s wrong with solera rums?’ hosted by Peter Holland…

Mill Hill Wines was established 35 years ago and is now the longest serving shop on The Broadway in Mill Hill, north London. The store was owned and set up by Laurence Hanison until his retirement. Former employee Andy Smith took over the reins in January 2017. The business offers a selection of more than 1,500 wines, spirits, craft beers and cigars. …

John E Fells is to be the UK distributor for the fine wines from Yalumba and Hill Smith Family Vineyards. The Hill Smith family will simultaneously become shareholders in Fells. The UK fine wine distributor is owned by Symington Family Estates (owner of Port houses of Cockburn’s, Graham’s Dow and Warre) and Miguel Torres (the producer of Spanish wines: Sangre de Toro and Vina Sol); the…

Clare Balding OBE stars in the first episode of a new series of A Glass With, the podcast hosted by Olly Smith and produced by Richard Hemming MW. The show has established itself among 20% of podcasts across the globe since launching in March 2017. Pink, Stuart Broad and Mick Hucknall are among the celebrities that have chatted about wine, life and love with jolly…

There’s a picture of the playwright Robert Bolt above the bar at Cork of the North, a hybrid-style wine merchant in Sale, on the south of Manchester. A blue plaque high up on the wall outside reveals the reason: the town’s most famous son, the writer of A Man For All Seasons – about the life of Thomas More – and the screenplays…