Evuna looks to build on success of second Manchester Spanish wine bar concept

By Nigel Huddleston

Published: 05 August, 2014

It's taken over a decade for Manchester's tapas and Spanish wine institution Evuna to get round to opening its second site, but now it has its sights set on opening more.

Evuna is looking to expand its Spanish tapas bar and shop concept Evuna is looking to expand its Spanish tapas bar and shop conceptEvnua now has two sites in Manchester for its Spanish tapas bar come independent merchants and hopes to open more

It's taken over a decade for Manchester's tapas and Spanish wine institution Evuna to get round to opening its second site, but now it has its sights set on opening more.

Its second site is in a former bank in the city's hip Northern Quarter just half a mile from the first in the city centre's Deansgate - but it's a very different kettle of calamari.

Co-owner Jane Dowler, a one-time marketing executive for Play Station, says: "Deansgate is legal firms and commerce. This is a bit more like Camden in London with a mix of media or creative types and some residents.

"We don't have any main courses at Northern Quarter; it's more informal with a quicker turnover of tables and lower spend per head and people don't tend to order £40 bottles of wine. The area's quite vibrant but not particularly upmarket. I've been surprised at the level of passing footfall, especially at lunchtime."

Like the first Evuna, number two sells only Spanish wines, which the business ships from family-owned producers and Barcelona-based Export Iberia.

"We import by the pallet," says Dowler. "We're always looking for new producers to work with. I went to the Wines From Spain tasting in March to focus to the exporters' area - as we only buy direct from Spain - and just picked two or three that I liked the look of, from Navarra and La Mancha. We hold everything in bond, which is unusual for a single restaurant, as we have been until now.

"We have good long relationships with some of our producers. Bodegas Santalba in Rioja produces fantastic wines with hand-picked grapes and really good quality control at a really good price. It's a father and son producer which has just made a Tempranillo in Bordeaux-style bottle that's almost like a Pinot Noir in style. It's very light for a Rioja. It's really on it with wine trends, despite the rules and regulations about what they can do in the region."

Dowler is looking to open a further site with a larger retail offer

Like the proverbial buses, having waited ages for a new Evuna two could be coming along in quick succession - and the next could return to the original Evuna ideal.

Evuna's Jane Dowler Evuna's Jane DowlerDowler is looking to open a further site with a larger retail offer

"I'd like to do a bit more in the informal style but in a trendy suburb like Didsbury, Hale or Chorlton," says Dowler, "and go a bit more retail with a bigger shop area. But I'm from Liverpool anyway so we're not opposed to another city."

The original plan for Evuna number one back in 2003 was a hybrid wine shop-cum-restaurant. The concept has evolved towards on-premise consumption but each outlet still has a display of bottles for take-home purchase, and the restaurant wine list carries two-tier pricing.

"Probably 10% of our business now is off-sales because people do come in and order half a glass each and then decide to take a bottle home because they like it, especially when we have wines of the month and specials," says Dowler.

"Generally, the off-sales price is about £10 less a bottle. I take our cost price and add on what most retailers would - and then add the restaurant margin to cover staff costs and overheads. A lot of people do look at the two prices and think we're making a huge profit without realising why.

"But they might got to a chain restaurant and buy a bottle of Blossom Hill for £10 and then go to Tesco and see it for £5. At least here we're giving them something different and exclusive."