Wolf Wine - 1805 Club Wine Partner

Welcome back! In this edition of Behind The Scenery we have a delightful interview with Angus Perkins of Wolf Wine, your new 1805 Club wine supplier. 

Wolf Wine are a proudly independent and hyper-local bottle shop, wine supplier and wine importer. We have wanted to work with Wolf for many years but after their original shop burnt down in the Green Park fire of 2023, their existence hung in the balance. Now they have triumphantly returned with their cosy and quirky new space on Walcot Street and we shall proudly be featuring their unique offerings in your 1805 bar.

They supply wines with a focus on organic, sustainable methods and offer a bespoke range of both familiar classics and modern off-the-beaten-track grape varieties. Angus and his team are on a mission to strip away the pretentious fluff that accompanies the traditional world of wine and show you that great wine can be for everyone. 

You new Wolf Wine curated list is for sale in the 1805 Rooms, with selected bottles now on offer on an introductory 20% discount! 

If you like what you read and want to sample Wolf's full range then 1805 Club members can use the following code for a 10% discount in store in Walcot Street and online: TRBMEMBERS10.

Read on to find out more...

Hello Angus! How long have you been in the wine game? 

13 years (or is it 14?) The time does fly. It's fair to say that the wine bug got me early on and I haven't looked back

What is your first wine memory? 

My first wine memory is NOT a good one. I distinctly remember during my school days going over to a friend's house for the weekend. Both his parents were out, so we snuck out to the garage where his dad had been making and bottling his own homemade wine. Between us we drank a bottle. It was total rocket fuel. Imagine a heady combination of nail polish, rubber tires and cherry cola with enough sugar to cause diabetes and enough acid to polish coins.

What is the first wine that you remember loving (rather than tolerating…)?

I think the first wine I remember getting totally giddy about was a 2010 Ribera del Deuro from Conde de San Cristobal. At the time I was bowled over. I had never really experienced a wine with so much concentration, complexity and flavours that changed as you drank it. My tiny muggle mind was blown by this wizardry. Not to mention it was smoother than Luther Vandross. Fast forward 10 years and I revisited it only to discover it was a very average example of Ribero del Deuro. But that was enough to forge an obsession with this pokie region in northern Spain

How long has WOLF been around? 

In May we will be celebrating our 10th Birthday!

What happened in the Green Park fire? How long has it taken you to recover? Did you ever think the business would fold? 

Truthfully, we don't know what caused the fire. After multiple investigations we still don't have any answers. It was devastating: There is quite an indescribable emotion that you feel when you watch something you have nurtured from the ground up disappear into smoke and ash. But if there is one thing that we have been very good at over the years it is remaining flexible, energetic and optimistic. It's taken us a full two years to make up for the fiscal loss caused by the fire. And at the beginning we really did think that this might have been the end of the Wolf Wine Chapter. However, we recieved a huge amount of love and support from our customers that allowed us to continue doing what we love.

The wine scene feels like it is thriving in Bath, what does WOLF bring to the table? Do you have a guiding philosophy?

The independent wine scene is indeed thriving in Bath. It's wonderful to see. We set up shop with a very simple idea - to make wine fun again (for everyone). In the early days, it seemed that the industry was limited to a certain cohort within society and the whole idea of wine was inaccessible to most - whether that be through snobbery and/or price. We wanted to change all of that, so we try to work with tiny growers from across the world who tend not to take themselves too seriously. 

What gets you excited about wine? 

I love the stories that come with a bottle of wine. With every bottle is a viticulturist or winemaker with an idea or an ambition. The wine they make should be an expression of that and in the case of the growers we work with, they seldom disappoint.

Favourite wine from the WOLF shop? 

Vinteloper Park Wine 2022 (£23) - Only 6 bottles in stock. Once its gone it gone

Best value? 

Adaras LLuvia (£15.00) - Sunshine in a glass!

Best for date night? 

Roc Ambulle Rose Petnat (£20.00 available in store only) - All out raspberry and roses

Best to impress? 

Montenidoli Vernacchia Fiore (£32.00 available in store only) - The best Italian white out there

Thank you so much, Angus! 

Interview: Nicholas Fleming