Introducing online bottle shop, Cave Bristol

Introducing Cave Bristol, founded by hospitality veteran and wine specialist Martin Hagen, it’s an online bottle shop specialising in selling a carefully-curated selection of small producer-led, organic, biodynamic and low-intervention wines, mixed discovery cases, premium store cupboard essentials and spirits.

Cave Bristol on Gloucester Road opened two weeks before the first lockdown in 2020, but plans quickly had to pivot. Martin kept the store open, operating under government guidelines, but acted quickly to take the concept online. The online store launched soon after with great success offering a selection of properly sourced wines, local cheese and provisions unlike any available elsewhere in the city. Orders were, and still are, delivered by bike in Bristol using zero-carbon.

Martin says, “Choosing wine for your wedding can be a daunting task and it’s commonplace for venues to only allow couples to choose from their wine list, resulting in a lack of choice and poorer quality wine with a large markup. At Cave we’ve had many customers come to us with this problem but there are ways to circumnavigate this issue. One is to offer to pay a corkage fee, then visiting a local merchant or wine expert to select and purchase wines to better suit the occasion, your style and most importantly complement the food.

“The best scenario, of course, is not being tied to the venue’s wine list and this is where the fun begins. We’ve worked with a host of nearlyweds, helping them to select their wedding wine and it’s something we take great pride and passion in. People are generally much more conscious about serving high-quality food and drink at their weddings these days and a good merchant should always be able to help with pairing the menu perfectly, tailoring wines to suit their couples’ palates and finding great value to suit the budget. From whites, reds, oranges and fizz, classical or unconventional there are endless regions and styles to explore.”

Discover more at www.cavebristol.co.uk