With Christmas approaching, it’s naturally the time to plan, prepare, and sketch out all the festive details—from shopping to scheduling. For me, as a Pole working in the UK wine trade, Christmas season means juggling wine in two ways: choosing bottles to match my Polish festive traditions at home and recommending the perfect picks to […]
As the skies above darken, so our tastes shift from the light, fresh, vibrant flavours of summer into the rich, unctuous, warming flavours of the festive season. Every year there is a seemingly ever-growing list of sours, stouts and lagers with festive ingredients or simply to be enjoyed in the festive period, so here are […]
Now that the days of waking up with a raging hangover on Christmas Day are over (wasn’t Christmas Eve once the best night-out of the year?!), I can fully appreciate a nice drop on Christmas morning. This year, I’m taking home the Farleigh Ridge Classic Cuvée (£30) to pair with our family tradition; bacon […]
Sam M Champagne Bernard Robert NV (£35) – Gone are the days that I wake up excitedly for Christmas morning, checking for signs of Santa and ripping presents open in a frenzy! Nowadays, I’m glad of the lie-in and will just about be coaxed out of bed for an early-morning tipple…And what better way to […]
When it comes to the festive season, the following are must haves for me: Armagnac the Brandy for Christmas, Sigognac VSOP from one of the oldest estates in the region. Who own their own vineyards, distillery and cellars. They also bottle all their own spirits. Made from a blend of Baco and Ugni Blanc grape […]
CHRISTMAS is for CLASSICS I love the rituals of Christmas – what we have for Christmas lunch (turkey and all the trimmings, nothing can be missed!), presents, games, wines and the ensuing debates! These have been in my family life for years and now passed through the generations. Wine is, […]
The holidays are coming! We thought a little insight into our wine vision and desire would bring a little bit of joy to you, the reader, so over the course of 4 weeks we’ll “interview” our staff colleagues about such delights. I’m the first pick to break the ice, […]
ITALY, OFF THE BEATEN PATH WINE TASTING Wednesday 24th September – 7pm 1B Coffee House, Cotham Hill BS6 6JZ £35 Italy is a wine lover’s paradise, with so many renowned grapes and regions, it almost never disappoints. Come and join us for a wine tasting featuring the lesser-known grape varieties that Italy has to […]
FRENCH SPRING WINE TASTING Wednesday 26th of March – 7pm 1B Coffee House, Cotham Hill BS6 6JZ £35 Spring in France is a “magnifique” season, the sleepy vineyards and vignerons are now buzzing, and some of their wines are ready for a second fermentation or bottling, it is a time to taste the wine and […]
It’s the end of January and that can mean only one thing for the discerning whisky drinker, Burns Night. The national celebration of Scotland’s bard poet and whisky have gone hand in hand for roughly 200 years. The first celebration dinners might not have had the availability of today’s whisky world but we are happy […]
CHRISTMAS HITS WINE TASTING Wednesday 27th of November – 7pm 1B Pitville, Cotham Hill BS6 6JZ £35 As we approach the festive season, we would like to invite you to sample some exquisite wines (pairing ideas in mind) that are suitable for Christmas day and beyond. From old favourites of ours to some […]
Wednesday 20th November – 7pm 1B Pitville, Cotham Hill BS6 6JZ £25 Join us for a wonderful evening of whisky tasting hosted by Stefanie Holt of Mangrove Drinks. Stefanie will showcase an array of whiskies from around the world, pinpointing different styles and bringing a fresh approach to our understanding of whisky in general. […]
FOURSQUARE RUM TASTING Wednesday 16th October – 7pm 1B Pitville, Cotham Hill BS6 6JZ £25 Join us for a wonderful evening in the company of Peter Holland, Foursquare UK Brand Ambassador, for a tasting of delightful spirits. Foursquare Distillery was established on a former sugar plantation in Saint Philip, Barbados by The Seale family […]
Wednesday 18th of September – 7pm 1B Pitville, Cotham Hill BS6 6JZ £35 Join us on another fabulous wine adventure, this time exploring the interconnected world of rivers and vine growing in Europe. We’ll embark on a beautiful journey down some of the most important rivers for winemaking on our continent, crossing boundaries and […]
Col Fondo is an almost forgotten method of making sparkling wines in Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Introduction of the Charmat Method in the turn of XX century allowed making pristine, clear wines and pushed away the old method producing cloudy and funky wines. However, with the renaissance of pet-nat style around the world, also Col Fondo came […]
Wednesday 26th of June – 7pm 1B Pitville, Cotham Hill BS6 6JZ £35 The cradle of winemaking in Europe is represented by the windswept, sunny Mediterranean Islands. Join us on a journey around these fabled places and the wonderful wines made there, mostly using indigenous grapes, some incredible landscapes and stories too. Perfect […]
“Florals? For Spring? Groundbreaking!” quips Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada… Yet, here we are with some of our top Rosés to try now that the weather is finally starting to act a little more Spring-like! Starting with Pasquiers Rosé, a firm favourite and great-value option from the Languedoc where tangy red berries burst from […]
NOW ON SALE IN NORTH STREET Our frozen range of Neapolitan pizzas gives people restaurant quality pizza in their own home. Staying true to their restaurant they use the same high quality ingredients and techniques, hand stretching and cooking the bases at 500C, then they finish topping them, vacuum pack and freeze – its just […]
Thursday the 21st of December is our last delivery day before Christmas. Collections from our main shops Cotham and North street are still possible up until Christmas Eve.
Staff Christmas Picks Part Two Meg: After the obligatory Bloody Mary to soothe the head from the previous night’s celebrations, I would kick the day off with my all time fave and go-to Champagne, Veuve Fourny Blanc de Blancs. Made from 100% Chardonnay, this delicious fizz has a lightness of touch with beautifully balanced citrus fruit, hints […]
Team Corks’ Festive Picks Raz: Uggiano, Governo Toscano Method, Tuscany, Italy A drier appassimento style that has amazing value and taste. I also find myself drawn more to Italian wines this year. A similar wine making technique to Ripasso but showing lighter fruity notes and a distinctive savoury touch of black cherry, dry herbs and […]
The perspective of driving a distance on a single-track road always disheartens me a bit. I’m an occasional driver and with practice, I am sure I could rather quickly become more confident with those quite common, especially in the countryside, types of road. Well until then I need a good motivation to convince me that […]
Champagne equals premium price, right? Well – in many cases – yes, you do have to pay significant money for a bottle of that fizz, but there are examples that are far less damaging to our bank accounts and there is a silent hero that makes it possible. Its name is Pinot Meunier. […]
Despite there being limited access to Cotham Hill at present, we are open as usual. There is available parking in the streets behind the shop and we can always help carry any purchases to your car! Alternatively, we deliver locally. See you soon and thanks for bearing with us
We will be closed on the following days for the upcoming Bank Holidays in April and May: All Shops: Easter Sunday 9th of April -CLOSED Easter Monday 10th of April- CLOSED Monday the 1st of May Bank Holiday- CLOSED Monday 8th of May -Coronation Bank Holiday – CLOSED Monday the 29th of May Bank […]
Wednesday 9th November – 7pm 1B Pitville, Cotham Hill BS6 6JZ £30 We invite you to taste the superb range of wines and ports from the Quinta de la Rosa family. Quinta de La Rosa is a small estate in the heart of the Port wine-growing region in Alto Douro, near Pinhao, owned and operated […]
All of our shops will be closed for the Bank Holiday Monday the 19th of September. Open normal from Tuesday 20th of September.
CRETAN WINE TASTING LYRARAKIS WINERY Wednesday 21st September – 7pm 1B Pitville, Cotham Hill BS6 6JZ £30 We invite you to a tasting of the wines from Lyrarakis winery. Renowned for its fabulous beaches and clear blue sea, yet Greece’s largest island has far more to offer. With its wild vineyards and indigenous grape varieties […]
CIRCUMSTANCE DISTILLERY SINGLE GRAIN WHISKY Pre Order We are delighted to offer pre orders on Circumstance Distillery first release. Circumstance Distillery is the first and only distillery in Bristol distilling from ferment. Making an organic Vodka, white Rum and Whisky. Their approach to making spirits is to respect traditions without being confined by them. The […]
TEQUILA-MEZCAL TASTING Wednesday 20th July – 7pm 1B Pitville, Cotham Hill BS6 6JZ £25 We invite you to a tasting of the iconic spirits of Mexico. Steeped in tradition, these are the ultimate artisanal drinks offering unique and distinct flavour profiles deriving from the vast diversity of agave plants and nuances of each distiller. It […]
One of my favourite food times of the year, as now available are the best and freshest ingredients. Our friends at Source Food have available Asparagus, Globe Artichokes, Heritage Tomatoes and Wild Garlic Pesto. The perfect time to get the barbecue ready. A great go to dish Pork tenderloin with season veg and fresh herb […]
On Sunday 26th June, join us for a very special tasting hosted by Circumstance Distillery. Circumstance distillery was founded in 2018, brought to you from the same team behind Psychopomp Micro-distillery. The only distillery in Bristol distilling from ferment, their approach to making spirits is to respect traditions without being confined by them. Described by […]
We buy a lot of our food from Source, which for 12 years was operated as a successful café and food hall in St Nicks market in the centre of Bristol. When Covid hit they sold the lease and turned the food hall into an online shop and have been working from their new home […]
In the North-West corner of Italy lies the stunning wine region of Piedmont. Home to some of Italy’s most prestigious wines, Barolo and Barbaresco being the two most celebrated. The etymology of Piedmont meaning ‘at the foot of the mountains’ or ‘mountain foot’ very much informs and shapes the experience of this beautiful land. […]
Pharos, White Rioja, 2020, Rioja, Spain Domaine de la Combe, Muscadet Sevre et Main sur lie, 2020, Loire, France Maias Branco 2019, Dao, Portugal Amoterra Trebbiano 2020, Abruzzo, Italy The region of Rioja goes back two millennia or more and it is the prime wine growing region in Spain. Even though it is primarily […]
With the sweetest time of the year approaching, let’s have a look at how we can make our dessert indulgence even lusher. Pairing with desserts is not difficult if we keep in mind a few simple rules; choose wines that are sweeter than the dish and focus on matching the flavours and weight. Christmas pudding […]
You can now buy Gift Cards on the website. For use in the shop or online. Gift Card
What’s New…? It’s an exciting time here at Corks of Bristol as we have many new products arriving each week. Here are just a few of the latest additions to our shelves: Lyrarakis Mandilari Rosé 2020 With summer drawing ever closer, it’s time to introduce some of our new seasonal rosés! Let us begin with […]
What’s New…? It’s an exciting time here at Corks of Bristol as we have many new products arriving each week. Here are just a few of the latest additions to our shelves: Ciu Ciu Oris Bianco 2020 This is a new label from the producer of our long-time bestselling red wine, Ciu Ciu Bacchus. As […]
Chateau Mercian is one of the oldest Japanese wineries established in the Meiji Era when in 1870 two young viticulturists travelled to France to learn about the winemaking process. Just looking at the numbers of French grapes planted today in Japan it’s clear the French inspiration is still very important, however, the most important grape […]
We are back Cotham and North Street are open with social distancing. Open Monday to Saturday Midday to 7 pm , Cargo Wednesday and Thursday 4pm to 7pm Friday and Saturday Midday to 7 pm, Sunday 12 to 5pm. We are doing local delivery and collect from the online shop . The web shop is […]
Thursday, 12th March -7pm Coffee and Beer, 16 Cotham Hill £20 Portugal is a fascinating wine producing country. Most famous for the production of Port, beyond which there is a wealth of table wines offering distinct styles and great value for money. Indigenous grape varieties rule across the varied and diverse wine regions covering the […]
Thursday, 13th February – 7pm Coffee and Beer, 16 Cotham Hill £20 In the North West corner of Italy lies the stunning wine region of Piedmont. Home to some of Italy’s most prestigious wines, it offers a glorious array of varieties little found elsewhere in the world . From bold reds to delicate whites and […]
We have expanded our range of Whiskies. Now we can show this amazing spirit that is made from Australia to Taiwan in a huge range of styles and flavours. To start with our New Favourite: Starward from new World Whisky Distillery in Melbourne Australia. Started in 2007 to showcase the region nature of the area […]
Vodka is nowadays taking a step back in terms of shelf presence , this is particularly the case for lots of bars, which tend to give other spirits the limelight. Most of these replacement spirits are deemed as best for drinking neat, with vodka being the basic ingredient for the ubiquitous cocktail. But we argue […]
Sparkling wines are and have been always associated with celebration, with times of happiness and joyous moments. It dates back to the times were harvest was celebrated with the newly bottled wine shortly after completion, where this newly bottled wine was slightly effervescent, or petillant as the French say. This was in fact the first […]
Summer is always the time to measure the quantity and quality of rose wine, or so it seems. In reality, wine drinkers are more and more inclined to serve rose all year round nowadays and it is easy to understand why, given the multiple styles out there. But before we go any deeper on […]
GIFTS AND OTHER IDEAS We have a great range of gift boxes. Wine boxes for 1,2 or 3 bottles Wooden Boxes for 1 bottle Beer Boxes for 3,4 and 6 bottles New Can Box for 6 cans Belgian Beer Gift Packs Plus Port Packs 3 different selections from Neipoort 3 Vintages of Colheitas 3 Ages […]
Lambic-style beers, in the form of a spontaneously fermented beverage, can loosely be traced back to approximately 50-100BC thanks to Roman historians marching with the army, near what is the modern Belgian/German border. The Breweries that survive today often have long, centuries-old history, and have experienced the changes in public tastes and political climates. Some […]
The coming of Spring is imminent, snowdrops are scattered around and the sunshine hours are increasing, our appetite for poking our heads above the winter slumber is increasing too! We are suggesting therefore, a small selection of spirit beverages that we think should match the coming euphoria at the return of Mother Nature’s green shoots. Our first […]
I have just returned from an amazing trip to Mendoza, Argentina’s most famous wine region. Stunning vineyards framed by magnificent mountains, consistently brilliant wines and inspirational people made for quite an experience (not to mention over consumption of beef and empanadas!). The region is most famous for its Malbec grape and I tried an amazing […]
In the North West corner of Spain lies the magical land of Galicia. Green and rugged it is a beautiful mix of mountains, rivers, rolling hills and a stunning coastline. As breathtaking is the scenery, so are the wines. We have just returned from a tour across the region taking in Rais Biaxas, Ribeiro, Ribeiro […]
Not long ago, Portugal was only known for its beautifully crafted fortified wines (Ports) and less so for the easy, quaffable white wines of the north (Minho) or juicy reds of the Dao, Bairrada or the Alentejo. Nowadays this has been rectified, most of wine drinkers having met with the delicious Vinho Verde or similar […]
Last night we indulged (alongside our customers) into a superb tasting hosted at The Kensington Arms, Redland featuring some fantastic wines from Quinta do Vale Meao.The tasting was presented by Francisco Javier de Olazabal , winemaker at this esteemed estate that sits atop a granite outcrop in the Douro Superior region of Portugal. We started the […]
Italy is a treasure trove for native and sometimes obscure grape varieties, although Trebbiano is not really obscure, it is certainly Italian. Trebbiano is also known as Ugni Blanc or Colombard in neighbouring France, where it is mostly used for creating the base wine for Cognac and Armagnac, with little presence as a wine varietal […]
Earlier this week we were invited to host a tasting for the Bristol Wine Circle, a lovely group who meet frequently to share their passion for wine. They tasked us to show them a range of ‘interesting wines’, always like a challenge! First was to narrow this down to just ten. We choose all our […]
PORTUGUESE ICONS QUINTA DO VALE MEAO WINE DINNER Wednesday 10th 2017 May – 7.30pm The Kensington Arms, 35-37 Stanley Road, BS6 6NP £45 In the upper reaches of the Douro Valley, on the rivers most dramatic meander, sits an iconic estate. Quinta do Vale de Meao produces some of the world’s most stylish wines […]
We are delighted to have Teeling Whiskey in Cargo on Friday 16th March 2017 from 3pm to 6pm. TEELING WHISKEY Whiskey making and entrepreneurship has been in the Teeling genes as far back as 1782, when Walter Teeling set up a small craft distillery on Marrowbone Lane, Dublin 8. Right back in the heart […]
WINE DINNER DANIEL RAMOS DISTINCTIVE TASTE OF SPAIN Wednesday 29th March 2017 – […]
Since Roman times, Madrid and its mountainous surroundings have been cultivated with grapes. The climate is continental, quite hot summers, equally cold winters and it is this stressful succession of seasons that makes the area a good spot for wine grape-growing. The growers here adapted to these slightly harsher conditions by bringing in the sturdy […]
The last few days have seen a sudden temperature drop – not wholly unexpected – which has brought with it that slight feeling of need for warmth. Being more specific, it’s that time of the year when you transition from the citrusy white wines and bone dry rose of the summer to warmer reds. And […]
The growing trend is to bottle and release “En Rama” is an exciting addition to our sherry range. “En Rama” is to bottle the sherry (usually Fino or Manzanilla) virtually at the sane condition as found in cask. It has a very light filter to remove any suspended particles that may spoil the wine during […]
From its conception in the later 1800’s, 4 generations of the Antica Distilleria Quaglia have developed artisan spirit production, modernising where needed whilst cherishing the older traditional art and methods of distilling. With a range comprising Vermouth, Gin, Liqueurs, Absinthe, Grappa and Bitters, these are some of the best products we’ve tried. Organic with the […]
During the month of April , 2016 we celebrate an exciting, innovative promotion of organic, biodynamic and natural wine. At the dawn of winemaking this is how wine emerged from the fermenting cycle, unaltered by the primordial custodians of the red bacchian juice. It shows mostly what grapes,yeast and mother nature intended to do, turning […]
Tracing its origins to the first Francs, the ancestors of modern day French, this little wine region, perfectly surrounded by the great forests of Germany, has been making good wine for several centuries. Although it has somewhat kept to it’s original, middle-ages shaped bottle called Bocksbeutels, it has done so out of need for protection […]
The King is dead, long live the King! Or so the saying goes, a bit like Old World wines too. It is still winter, certainly more so on the continent where the Barolo Hills are covered with a blanket of snow, or the frosty mornings cover most of Burgundy’s Grand Crus. The Old World is […]
The cold, frosty windows signal a returning appetite for rich, dark fruit laden, spicy red wines. There are plenty available nowadays, from the sunny shores of the Southern Hemisphere to the classical Old World blends and single varietals that have time and again proven their worth. The New World reds that would suit […]
Megan’s passed her final exam in the WSET Diploma. We’re all very proud!
As winter draws in we see the Breweries shift their releases towards darker beers. Known as Porters or Stouts which are a made from a higher proportion of heavily roasted malts. We stock year round classics such as Cheddar Ales’ Totty Pot Porter & Wye Valley’s Wholesome Stout. Also some more unusual styles including Milk […]
At the beginning of October my colleague Meg and I went on a short wine trip to the Douro region of Portugal to visit esteemed producer Alves de Sousa. This was part of a well planned visit by Top Selection Wines, alongside a few colleagues of the wine trade. On arrival, Porto greeted us with […]