Wine business in a barn wins top UK award
An independent Gloucestershire-based wine and spirit specialists has beaten UK-wide competition and has won a prestigious nationwide award. The company made it to the three finalists of the ‘Independent Wine Retailer of the Year’ category in the Drinks Retailing Awards 2025 and were announced the winners last night at a ceremony in London.
Vinotopia Wine based in Nailsworth, has won the final Drinks Retailing Awards for Independent Wine Retailer of the Year. The company has been recognised for the impressive growth achieved following the move to their new ‘Wine Barn’ home on the Nailsworth Garden Centre estate just over 16 months’ ago.
Judges highlighted the unique barn feel to the store as a stand-out feature alongside the breadth and quality of beverages on offer. This played a key feature in making the wine merchants such an exceptional retail destination.
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Vinotopia’s focuses on an enriching experience for customers and the local community, and this was also mentioned as a reason why the merchants had beaten some impressive UK-wide competition to be named finalists. Thanks to the wine merchant’s buoyant and exciting programme of events, workshops and dinners that run regularly at the Barn. Recent highlights include a sold-out Burns Night supper, paint-and-wine workshops, a Champagne masterclass and monthly ‘sip and stitch’ night for local craft-lovers.
One of the forefront awards on the drinks industry calendar, the Drinks Retailing Awards aims to highlight and celebrate outstanding achievements in the UK drinks industry. Vinotopia were shortlisted as finalists against hundreds of hopeful businesses across the UK, with the award winners set to be announced at a ceremony in London tomorrow.
Managing Director of Vinotopia, Andy Cole, said: “We’re blown away to have made the final in this category, particularly when you look at the calibre of other independents that we’re lucky enough to have here in the UK,” explained .
“This truly is testament to the incredible hard work of our close-knit team here at the Barn, as well as the wonderful support we’ve had from our local Cotswold community. When we moved from our shipping container unit to the much larger Barn premises 16 months’ ago, we were taking a risk; yet remained confident in the fact that not only were we offering something unique for local customers to enjoy, but that the larger premises would allow us to grow the online and corporate side to the business. We’re extremely proud to say that we’ve done just that, with even more exciting plans up our sleeves for the future. Watch this space!”