Accolade opens UK shop

Accolade has opened its “answer to a ‘cellar door’ in the UK” – a new shop near its head offices.

‘1853 Wine Club’ opened on 16 December at the site of the company’s head office in Weybridge, Surrey. It is described as an “extension” of the e-commerce site, 1853wineclub.com.

The shop will sell an extensive range of Accolade wines including: Eileen Hardy, Flagstone, Mud House, Leasington, Houghton, Bay of Fires, Da Luca, Geyser Peak and others.

The shop has two Enomatic machines with 16 wines available between them for customers to try.

“The shop was part of the strategy in the decision to relocate the Accolade Wines UK head office to Weybridge in the later part of this year,” said Rob Harrison, Accolade Wines general manager for Sales UK and Ireland.

“We wanted to create a cellar door experience in the UK, which embodies our brands from Australia, New Zealand, North America, South Africa and now Chile. The 1853 wine shop will ensure our premium portfolio becomes more accessible to the public,” he said.

The date in the name is a reference to the first vines planted in Australia by Thomas Hardy. Planted near Adelaide, his first plantings included Shiraz, Frontignac, Muscat, Mataro, Grenache and ‘Roussillon’.