UK’s 50 Best Indies 2021: 11-20

By Andrew Catchpole

Published: 09 September, 2021

Welcome to the release of our fourth tranche of our 50 Best Indies list, from 11-20, also featuring all of those that have made it into the ranking from 21-50.

This is the final staggered release of results ahead of the Top 10, to be unveiled tomorrow (Friday 10 September) at 11am during a live webinar featuring our list-topping merchants from around the UK.

To register for Friday’s final reveal, please follow the link here.

Congratulations from the Harpers team to all below for making it to our UK’s 50 Best Indies 2021 so far…

50 Best Indies 11-20

11. RESERVE WINES, MANCHESTER

From its 2003 birth in Didsbury, this merchant has grown to five sites, with a sixth coming soon, offering a hybrid model, with aspects like wine on tap very much part of this multi-faceted and quality-focused business. Reserve Wines remains true to its founding mission of “creating great platforms and environments for people to enjoy and experiment with wine”. This is evidenced by its responses to lockdown – tweaking ranges, ramping up the quality of its online offer, partnering with local market traders and producers for delivery and virtual events, creating pop-ups, driving the agenda of local and sustainable, and generally doing its utmost to excite and satisfy the customer.

12. ADNAMS, SUFFOLK

Adnams is East Anglia’s favourite wine and spirits merchant-cum-brewer, with some great hotels and pubs in the mix too. Ever individual and highly independent, with an impressive sustainable ethos, this business offers the full gamut of global drinks, but with emphasis on smaller producers and unearthed gems, plus a superb own-label range. Work within and support for the local community is also a big deal here, adding to this great all-rounder’s appeal.

13. BOROUGH WINES, LONDON

From humble beginnings at London’s Borough Market, this merchant has always ploughed its own furrow, championing organic, biodynamic and low-intervention winemaking, with an inspiring emphasis on sustainability at the core of all it’s achieved. It was early with wines on tap, sustainable packaging and bringing in quality bulk. But Borough has taken this to another level during the past 18 months, becoming the ‘quality bottler’ of choice for tasting samples for events as diverse as California Wines and London Wine Fair. A remarkable company, pointing the way to the future.

14. JEROBOAMS, LONDON

This ever-popular London-based merchant is one of a kind, with eight shops firmly rooted in ‘London villages’, where local community links and trust are nurtured and delivered, alongside a normally thriving wholesale arm. The in-store range of wines and spirits is exemplary, as is the knowledge and service. But this ever-innovative company also met the crisis head on, quickly revamping its online operation, delivering a £682,000 uptick in the past 12 months. Great communication with customers has, needless to say, also been key to its ongoing success.

15. HEDONISM WINES, LONDON

Hedonism is perhaps the most stunning wine emporium in the UK with its incredible range of 6,000 wines and 3,000 spirits all artfully arranged in its beautiful Mayfair showroom. The business also folds in a standalone Michelin-starred restaurant, plus a new cafe and deli and a wine pub, all just a short hop away. A 15-strong team of wine and spirits specialists are on hand to offer a bespoke buying experience across a range that was tweaked to source exciting new references from inaccessible travel destinations, plus adding many half-bottles in response to customers being locked away at home. A great drink-from-home response from a real gem.

16. THE BUTLERS WINE CELLAR, BRIGHTON

This two-store merchant is as independently minded as they come. The Butlers team buy what they like, when they like, currently with a strong focus on Portugal and California, and sell on the tickets of big enthusiasm and fun. Equally impressive, though, is how deeply rooted this merchant is in the community, with its engaging social-media-backed presence complemented by charity work that has gone above and beyond in supporting NHS workers and local food banks. A true local indie, but with increasingly national recognition.

17. HANDFORD WINES, LONDON

As a traditional merchant with a high-end but nonetheless far-reaching list, this indie ticks all the boxes impeccably, climbing 17 places in this year’s list. But the team here also responded to the pandemic by going into overdrive with customer engagement, using digital engagement and Zoom tastings to seriously boost its reach, drawing in a raft of new customers and boosting its online sales by over 600%. Meanwhile, the MW-peppered team also responded fantastically to the growing demand for less well known wines. In their words, “it’s all about finding the right wine for the right customer”.

18. DEFINE FOOD & WINE, CHESHIRE

This hybrid operator combines indie retail, deli and restaurant to great effect in terms of – in their words – “providing a stage for the most colourful wines on the planet”. Its 1,200-strong portfolio is particularly good on grower Champagne, South Africa and Italy, plus wines by the glass. This Northwich-based merchant also flexed cleverly to meet the challenges of the past 18 months, taking its website from a standing start to £250,000 revenues in 12 months, while also running initiatives in support of charities, including raising thousands for the Lebanese Red Cross.

19. LEA & SANDEMAN, LONDON

This smart London-based merchant, with its five stores (the latest opening during the pandemic), plus healthy online and on-trade wholesale reach, simply oozes quality and characterful independence. Unlike many, the business has decided to stick to its roots, eschewing the hybrid model. Instead it focuses on an impeccable list and excellence in customer service, with a tantalising schedule of tastings and other events to back up this seamless package.

20. KASK WINE, BRISTOL

(HIGHEST NEW ENTRY)

With a bar as its hub, this dynamic business has upped the ante in Bristol with its mix of organic and minimal intervention wines, offering a great range on tap, home delivery, online tastings and DIY tasting kits, all aimed at both individuals and corporates. To complete the package, there’s also cheese and charcuterie on offer. Ever responsive in the face of Covid, the reach of this business has grown nationwide, with a second Bristol site and organised ‘real’ vineyard and winemaker tours coming soon. A truly multi-faceted hybrid.

50 Best Indies 21-30

21. CHILLED & TANNIN, CARDIFF

(WALES STANDOUT)

‘Authentic’ is a word used a lot, but at this new-entrant Welsh merchant it translates as a true dedication to sustainably focused producers – those that really care about their environment and what they put in the bottle. Or, as this crew puts it, “bodacious wines with a conscience”. The result is a list, and a vibe, that delivers fresh excitement and refreshing wines, all washed down with enthusiasm and independent gusto from the three chaps behind this new wave indie.

22. BERRY BROS & RUDD, LONDON

This may be Britain’s oldest wine and spirit merchant, but it’s one that has constantly developed and moved with the times. Its retail base and HQ in St James’s is complemented by offices in Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan, plus a busy wine school in the London cellars, strong business with private clients and a recently trimmed wholesale arm. Cellar plans, wine investment services, warehousing, education and private events are all on offer here, together with a far-reaching portfolio of quality wines and spirits.

23. TIVOLI WINES, CHELTENHAM

This is an indie that describes itself as “an experience-led” retailer, with The Wine Library – a tasting room featuring 32 wines on Enomatic – plus The Grape School, offering “fun and informative” wine experiences. Adding to this mix are soon-to-be-launched Tivoli tours of wineries, distilleries and brewers across the three counties surrounding the business. This merchant is also a big champion of English and Welsh wines, with a strong programme of online events backing this up, along with ample tasting in the hybrid store. And the local focus is clearly working, tripling sales in just five years.

24. CONNOLLY’S WINE MERCHANTS, BIRMINGHAM

Climbing some 21 places, this Birmingham and Solihull-based merchant actually sold off its wholesale arm last year, to refocus instead on getting its retail heart 100% right. There’s a hybrid element to the business too, plus a revamped range focused on more modest quantities of, for example, Langhe Nebbiolo, Maule Valley Semillon and other boutique wines that almost invariably have an engaging story behind them. Lockdown initiatives laid the foundations for further evolution, such as a monthly subscription service, helping introduce new customers to Croatia, Georgia, Portugal and Greece. Meanwhile, online and home delivery also continued to remain strong, and there’s a new wine bar on its way soon.

25. SOUTH DOWNS CELLARS, SUSSEX

At 25 sits a two-branch Sussex merchant that is much immersed in buying from, selling to and working closely with local and regional producers. It also folds in a broader, complementary retail and wholesale operation that supplies regional pubs, restaurants and hotels. All of this has been tied together in what South Downs Cellars describes as 360-degree “shop front mentality”, which allows an holistic relationship with all customers. Driving both retail and online sales up – the latter by 1,251% – during the pandemic, this has been achieved by putting the customer at the heart of all this indie does.

26. THE GOOD WINE SHOP, LONDON

This west London business’ strapline – “Good wine, real people, great stories” – absolutely holds true across its four-shop portfolio. The wine offer comprises smaller, family-run producers of quality, with sustainability and personality all part of an enticing blend. The range constantly rotates, too, with the likes of Morocco, Japan and Mexico all in the most recent mix. This is backed by a constantly evolving series of marketing activities and events, all designed to bring customers and budding wine lovers closer to the winemakers behind the wines. An indie brimming with energy and innovative approach.

27. WOODWINTERS, SCOTLAND

With 40% of wines being shipped direct from producers of ‘integrity’, this Inverness-born company has since grown an impressive private client base, along with a thriving wholesale business that now has its own London office. Managing to hold 2,000 quality wines at a time, with a rotation of 3,000 sold throughout the year, none of this would add up to so much if it wasn’t for the impressive service, knowledge and passion offered to private, retail and trade customers alike.

28. THEATRE OF WINE, LONDON

From hand-picked classics to exotic finds from emerging regions, this merchant has it all and backs this up with a tirelessly accessible approach to engagement that has delivered 1,000 (virtual) tastings during the pandemic alone. Brexit, then the Covid crisis, also inspired this operator to evolve many aspects of its business, including staff training, stock and sales systems, marketing, and tie-ins with platforms such as Deliveroo. At the heart of it all lies a commitment in communicating to the customer the really pleasurable experience delivered by great wines, spirits and beers.

29. AMPS WINE MERCHANTS, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

With its impeccable core range remaining largely unaltered during lockdowns, this quality merchant nonetheless expanded its entry level, winning away supermarket customers, and keeping them hooked with a combination of improved online presence, social media and dedicated retail customer service. Amps’ website sales rose 650% during the pandemic, underpinned by incredibly popular Zoom tastings, along with partnerships with local food providers. This latter was conceived to best help serve the community, also forming part of a broader company focus on sustainability.

30. YAPP BROTHERS WINE MERCHANTS, WILTSHIRE

A sterling merchant that made its name specialising in the Rhône, Loire and Languedoc-Roussillon, but has deftly added to its core French regional portfolio with countries as diverse as Germany and Australia, South Africa and Argentina. The historical sales split was around 50:50 between retail and wholesale, with the latter comprising a dizzying number of Michelin-starred restaurants around the UK. Facing up to the pandemic, and a sales mix that shifted to 80:20 retail to wholesale, the focus shifted to D2C, plus selling to indies, hybrids and brokers, inspiring this merchant to up its range by 10%.

50 Best Indies 31-40

31. JN WINE, NORTHERN IRELAND

A superb all-rounder. From its quality portfolio of both esoteric and more mainstream wines to varied customer services and in-depth staff training, this Northern Ireland-based indie also continues to grow its high-end agencies across the Emerald Isle. With greater emphasis on one-off parcels and gifting during 2020, online sales witnessed an overall uptick of 49%, also reflecting 3,000 new customers that flocked to this vinous oasis.

32. NOVEL WINES, BATH

The name of this small but enticingly formed company says it all, with a range rooted in individual and often eclectic finds from Central and Eastern Europe, along with emerging Mediterranean hotspots and more besides. Founded with an aim to “excite the curious drinker”, this West Country merchant nonetheless used the crisis to focus on expanding its range around £10 to help draw in retail adventurers straying from the supermarkets. All of this was backed by a roster of virtual tasting events, mixed-case deals and a new line-up of novel spirits.

33. VINO WINES, EDINBURGH

With three stores and a very loyal following, this Scottish star met the pandemic head on, flipping almost its entire range online, accelerating an ongoing shift from wholesale to ecommerce, while moving to the portfolio-protecting safe haven of UK buying. All of this simply represents the latest in a series of ongoing innovations and evolutions since Vino first opened in 2010, keeping this unstuffy but quality-focused indie ahead of the game.

34. THE WHISKY EXCHANGE, LONDON

Founded in 1999, this specialist has since become the number one online retailer of whisky and other spirits, with a simple guiding premise of “never resting on its laurels”. Innovation and outstanding customer service, coupled with word-of-mouth recommendation and fair pricing, have driven strong growth in recent years, with the company taking the challenges of lockdowns in its (online) stride. Listing 9,500 products, this nonetheless is a merchant that makes every single one count and its spectacular range is still growing.

35. TANNERS WINE MERCHANTS, SHROPSHIRE

One of the UK’s bigger family-run indies with six branches to its name, plus a thriving wholesale side. As such, this still very independent Shropshire-rooted merchant continued to do what it does best during the pandemic, swinging its premium focus on to private clients and online trade, while keeping its supply to the on-trade “agile”. Climbing five places, Tanners upped its social media presence, while also showing a neat blend of tradition and modernity – all befitting one of the stalwarts of the indie trade.

36. THE VINEKING, SURREY

With two hybrid sites, a straight wine shop and now a dedicated wine bar, this Surrey favourite has firmly stuck to its founding principles of “great wines, no nonsense”. Virtual tastings and wine-focused tours, refocused logistics and a shift to featuring wines from stricken on-trade accounts to help out have all been part of the mix. This is a merchant that has managed many innovative twists and turns throughout the pandemic, while expanding and fine-tuning its superb range.

37. SECRET BOTTLE SHOP, HEREFORDSHIRE

Tucked away in Hereford, the long, bottle-lined entry corridor more than hints at the breadth and diversity on offer at this multichannel indie. During the pandemic Secret Bottle Shop once again upped its game, working hard on its quality entry-level offer to lure shoppers away from the supermarkets, while fine-tuning its delivery services. It also ramped up its highly successful Zoom tasting series and continued to work closely with suppliers, including whisky producers, to deliver new release and limited-edition bottles. An all-round enticing package.

38. HENNINGS WINE MERCHANTS, SUSSEX

With more than 60 years’ experience under its belt, this third-generation family business has never stood still. Hennings has steadily been adding to its two-shop strength as a traditional retailer with an incredibly healthy and still growing wholesale side that has for a while now led the business. There’s a fantastic breadth to the portfolio here, with many wines brought in direct. Add in much emphasis on high levels of customer service that carried over into the recent growth of online, and this merchant remains a regional star.

39. MARTINEZ WINE, YORKSHIRE

With two connecting stores and wine bars, a healthy wholesale arm and a now vibrant online operation, plus 40 years’ experience of sourcing from hand-picked quality producers,

the integrity of this merchant clearly shines through. And, as the pandemic forced a shift to online, use of cheeky, energetic and ultimately highly successful engagement via social media – including supplier-backed competitions and charity tie-ins – formed the icing on this tasty vinous cake.

40. THIRSTY, CAMBRIDGE

Thirsty is a stereotype-breaking East Anglian merchant that focuses on small, similarly independently minded producers, with organic and natural liquids to the fore, complementing a highly sustainable focus throughout all it does. Throw in comedy and music nights, tastings and bottle swaps, a double-dozen great beers on tap and strong support of local producers, and it all adds up to a dynamic mix of indie energy.

50 Best Indies 41-50

41. THE GOOD SPIRITS CO, GLASGOW

The sheer spectrum of spirits alone offered by this merchant might be enough to make our 50 Best. But add in the expansion into a great wine offer and great roster of craft beers in the two new shops, plus a “fiercely independent” and passion-driven approach to sourcing, selling and educating, along with canny adaptation during the pandemic, and it’s no wonder this company has become a Glasgow institution.

42. GWYN LLYN WINES, WALES

This firmly family-owned business in North Wales excels for its range, its customer service and “putting our heart and soul into what we do”. The pandemic emphasised this ethos, with “no dumbing down”, but rather a redoubling of local community focus and customer service, including working with suppliers of other victuals on deliveries. Additionally, Gwyn Llyn worked ever more closely with its own suppliers to ensure that the quality of the offer remained to the fore.

43. ST ANDREWS WINE COMPANY, SCOTLAND

Innovation has always underpinned all that this Scottish merchant does, with online tastings already part of the mix pre-pandemic. However, when lockdowns hit, the team ramped it up, instantly switching to a delivery-only model, honing its buying and offering pre-ordered sales, assisting other businesses with their ecommerce sites and creating initiatives such as ‘Winemakers live’ – a smart online tasting experience, in partnership with Daniel Lambert Wines.

44. BOTTLE APOSTLE, LONDON

From its original mini-Aladdin’s cave in East London to its four neighbourhood sites today, this fabulous merchant continues to push its ethos of appealing to the novice drinker as much as the seasoned wine buff. To do so, its dynamic and quality-driven team actively seek out highly characterful finds that offer true value and interest, with staff passion, rotating tasting samples and much immersion in the community all adding to the appeal.

45. DUNCAN MURRAY WINES, LEICESTERSHIRE

Climbing five places is this Leicestershire favourite, offering “wines, beers and spirits with personality” to both retail and wholesale customers. Personality is the keyword here, with its eponymous owner and team packing in so much in terms of events and charitable activities, alongside a bijou wine bar, pop-up initiatives and a growing online presence. And this all feeds in to the passionate but unstuffy approach.

46. VINDINISTA, LONDON

Describing itself as “a small, friendly neighbourhood wine shop in an unfashionable part of west London”, this indie nonetheless makes waves with its off-the-beaten-track selection, rooted in passionate sourcing and buying. Very much embedded in the local community, with a good sustainable ethos to boot, this is a merchant that has also reached out very successfully via social media and online to punch above its size.

47. TAURUS WINES, SURREY

Housed in a beautifully restored barn on a farm on the Surrey–Sussex border, this merchant offers the whole indie deal. With a strong ethos of sourcing direct from “classic regions” underpinning the mix of retail and fast ramped-up online sales, plus a highly active wine school and great sustainable ethos, this indie also did much throughout the pandemic to support suppliers and trade customers alike.

48. VALHALLA’S GOAT, GLASGOW

Describing themselves as “good people, selling good things to good people, made by good people” with no desire to make “shedloads of cash”, this idiosyncratic Glasgow outfit continues to cut to the heart of what makes a great independent. This translates as tasting, talking, truly listening to the customer, not taking themselves too seriously – except with the quality of the often off-piste wines, beers and spirits they find – while always injecting an element of fun.

49. CARRUTHERS & KENT, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE

As a specialist wine and bottle shop, comprising Enoteca, delicatessen, wine tasting and events space, all housing over 500 artisan wines, specialist beers and premium spirits, plus a counter full of extraordinary cheeses, charcuteries, condiments and chocolates, this Geordie oasis covers all the major necessities for life. During lockdown periods, the slow food/slow wine ethos behind this company was successfully grown through a massively expanded delivery service, a huge drive to boost wine club members, a fully revamped website and many other dynamic initiatives besides.

50. AKE & HUMPHRIS, YORKSHIRE

Ake & Humphris is an enticing family-owned business in Harrogate that majors in artisanal and less-well trodden finds. The dynamic team here, each bringing individual specialist areas of interest, such as South America, Riesling, whisky and craft beer, adapted fast during the pandemic, upping the ante on already strong elements of range, service, themed online tastings and – satisfyingly – sales.

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