Pop your corks, folks, because there’s reason to celebrate: Bristol has a new home for wine. This fresh addition to the city has, however, sprouted from already fertile ground, as the trusted minds behind DBM Wines are now cordially inviting the curious and connoisseurs alike to explore their programme of courses that promise to clear any stuffiness out of the room and welcome everyone to the table…
When it comes to learning about drinks, few things stir the curiosity like walking into a room lined with its own special collection of wine books. Pages that promise journeys to far-flung vineyards (and, hopefully, long lunches) are held together by every spine; labels tell stories of bottles that embody places, and – if you look closely enough – even the most intimidating-looking volumes beckon you closer to discover something within.
So, it feels rather appropriate that, tucked behind the shelves of DBM Wines on Clifton’s Princess Victoria Street, a new chapter in Bristol’s own wine story is about to begin.
The newly-created DBM Wine School is inviting, rather handsome with sustainably sourced navy wood panelling and totally un-stuffy. Old bottles, vineyard posters and framed labels from the Rothschild Estate bring the outside world in, and the dedicated library has books dating back decades: the whole space has been designed to be somewhere to learn, drawing the eye down, encouraging you to settle in and get ready to sip.
When we visit, Richard Davis (one of DBM Wines’ three Partners) and Elodie Hind (who will be leading the education there) are putting the finishing touches to a space that has been a long time coming. Among the shelves are books gathered from three different wine merchants, their collections gradually being combined and duplicates sorted through. One particularly fascinating volume Richard pulls out dates back to 1920.
The former office space has been transformed into a room that’s now the permanent home of DBM’s wine education programme. It’s now a place for formal qualifications (some courses on offer are accredited by the Wine & Spirits Education Trust [WSET] – regarded as one of the world’s leading providers of drinks education) – as well as tastings, meet-the-producer evenings, talks and friendly conversations about the endlessly fascinating subject of what we drink.
New school of thought
What sets DBM Wines’ School apart is that the slightly daunting atmosphere that can often accompany wine education is nowhere to be seen. There’s no sense that you should already know your Grüner Veltliner grapes from your Malbec’s elbow before you walk through the door. Instead, the School feels like an extension of what DBM has been championing for a long time: making wine approachable rather than intimidating.
The idea grew naturally from the tastings the team has been hosting in the shop, which pretty much always sell out. Until now, however, making those events happen has meant transforming the shop itself – dismantling displays, bringing in trestle tables, laying everything out and then restoring it all afterwards. The new room changes that. And more importantly, it gives the team somewhere permanent to build a community around wine.
This community will encompass both consumers and the trade. DBM already supplies around 40 to 50 of the city’s finest restaurants, so there is an obvious appetite for professional training among Bristol’s hospitality industry. But the wider ambition is to make wine education something that anyone can enjoy, whether they are contemplating a career in wine or simply want to know why one bottle tastes so much better than another.
Every glass tells a story
The formal programme will begin with WSET Levels 1 and 2, with further qualifications planned in the future. Level 1 is a one-day introduction; Level 2 is a three- or four-day course covering regions, viticulture, winemaking and key grape varieties. Alongside the formal qualifications will be the fun stuff – and it is clear that this is where the team is particularly keen to get creative.
There will be introductory wine courses, meet-the-winemaker evenings, sustainability talks, sessions with Masters of Wine and tastings that might take in everything from Old World versus New World wines to orange wine and the ever-evolving world of natural wine.
That appetite for a story is something DBM is particularly well placed to satisfy. This is not a wine school conjured from a textbook; it sits within an established local wine business whose three partners have more than a century of experience in the trade between them.
They have close relationships with producers, they have travelled to the vineyards, they have talked to winemakers and they know the people behind many of the bottles lining the shelves.
Bristol’s connection with wine goes back a long way. Richard describes the city as the second most important wine city in the country after London, thanks largely to its position as a major port through which wine was historically brought into Britain and distributed elsewhere.
The great Bristol wine merchants of the past – Howells, Harveys and Averys – are part of that heritage, and though the wine trade may have changed beyond recognition since, the city’s appetite for wine knowledge remains. There is history here, but there is also a sense of looking forward.
And perhaps that is particularly important now. Wine consumption in the UK is falling, with younger drinkers approaching alcohol differently, often drinking less but placing greater value on quality, provenance and experience. Richard sees this as a reason to engage with these drinkers who are seeking in-person experiential occasions, rather than feel threatened by a change in behaviour.
The challenge is to bring those drinkers in without making wine feel like an exclusive club. That philosophy is already evident in the shop, where wines under £15 are arranged by style rather than country. Anyone can walk in and choose something according to what they like without needing to navigate the wine world geographically. Then, as your confidence grows, DBM’s knowledgeable minds can take you further.
It is much the same approach Elodie wants to bring to teaching. Having recently completed the qualifications required to deliver the WSET courses, she is keen to make sure the classroom works for different kinds of learners, from practical kinaesthetic approaches and maps for visual learners, rather than assuming everybody absorbs information in the same way.
There’s going to be a real opportunity to progress here. You might arrive knowing very little beyond the fact that you like Sauvignon Blanc; a few months later, you could be confidently talking about soil types, fermentation methods and the difference between the Loire and Marlborough. Or… you might simply discover a bottle you simply can’t get enough of and want to share with others. Perhaps some of the joy in wine isn’t found in knowing absolutely everything, but also from realising how much there is left still to discover.
For more information about the Wine School and the upcoming programme of courses and tastings, get in touch with the team.
dbmwines.co.uk | 7 Princess Victoria Street, Clifton Village,
BS8 4BX
