CAVISTE ODIHAM NOW OPEN 
Our third shop is now open at the award-winning Newlyns Farm Shop, just off Junction 5 of the M3 near Odiham.  From its location next to the Hampshire Life Farm Shop of the Year 2008 and its new cookery school, Caviste Odiham brings you over 800 of Caviste’s award-winning portfolio of everyday and fine wines from around the world, with friendly, knowledgeable advice on hand from local wine expert, Mark Bedford, who is heading up the new shop.

For further information on Caviste Odiham, our winter and Christmas events in the new shop and our Odiham opening hours, please click here.

Caviste Wins Regional Wine Merchant of the Year 2008 Award  

We are delighted to announce that Caviste has won Regional Wine Merchant of the Year 2008 for the South East of England at the International Wine Challenge Awards.  Caviste was judged by the International Wine Challenge - widely regarded as ‘the Oscars’ of the wine industry - as being the best wine merchant in South East England for its wine list, customer service, store layout and marketing.

We are thrilled to win this highly prestigious award.  It is a huge achievement after only 5 years in business to be recognised by our industry as being the best in our region, as well as being a great testament to the Caviste team who work so hard, and our customers who support our shops.  We are very much looking forward to the Christmas season as we open our third shop at the hugely successful Newlyns Farm Shop near Odiham. 

February 2008 - Caviste Celebrates its 5th Birthday
How time flies!  We can hardly believe that it’s nearly five years since David and Hannah opened Caviste in Overton under the name of The Cellar Door - born from David’s passion for wine and his desire to share with our customers the fantastic small production, hand-crafted wines that other winemakers around the world are producing. 

We have come a long way since then, with a team of seven of us today, including Hampshire wine experts Mark Bedford and Rachel Gilbey, working across two Hampshire shops in both Overton and Stockbridge, a customer base of over 3,000 wine lovers around the UK and a unique and constantly evolving range of wines and events that celebrate the enjoyment and excitement of the world of winemaking.

We are very proud to have won recognition from the industry and the media in such a short space of time, reaching the finals of the OLM Independent Wine Retailer of the Year Award in 2005, winning the Association of New Zealand Wine Growers Independent Wine Merchant Award in 2006 and being recommended in the Guardian’s 2007 Shopping Directory as one of the UK’s finest independent wine merchants.

To celebrate our growth and success and to thank you for your continued loyalty and support, we’d like to invite you to our 5th Birthday Celebration Tastings, which will be taking place in both shops on Saturday 16th February.  Whether you have known us from the early days of the business, or have discovered us more recently, we do hope that you will be able to join us at either Caviste Overton or Caviste Stockbridge for a glass of JP Robert Brut Champagne, a tasting of our best loved wines from around the world from the past five years, and to take up the challenge in our Blind Tasting Competition to win a free Caviste Classics Tasting case.

August 2007:  Caviste - the new name for The Cellar Door
The Cellar Door in Overton will be changing its name to Caviste this week, joining its Stockbridge branch which opened under the new name in April this year.  After nearly five years of trading as The Cellar Door, the company is changing to its new, trademarked name to avoid confusion with the growing number of like-named ‘Cellar Door’ wine businesses throughout the UK.

“Whilst it’s sad to say goodbye to our old name, which at first seemed like changing the name of one of our children, we’re looking forward to a new phase in the company’s growth, with a trademark-protected name that is unique to us,” commented David Thomas.  “Having reassured our customers that no other aspect of our products, services or people will be changing, we have been delighted with their response to our new name, which for those who are curious means ‘cellarman’ in French.”

Now under one name, Caviste’s two Hampshire shops, based in Overton and Stockbridge, showcase the best that winemaking has to offer – from established classic producers to the emerging stars of the New and Old World; and from everyday drinking choices to wines for entertaining, special occasions and for cellaring.  The constantly evolving wine list celebrates the small, independent producer, with many wines discovered whilst in the vineyards of the world’s most exciting wine regions.  With wines open for tasting throughout the week, often with visiting winemakers and producers in the shops at weekends, as well as tutored tastings and educational courses throughout the year, Caviste’s calendar of events captures the enjoyment and excitement of wine.

Caviste’s next wine tasting event will be held in the Stockbridge shop and its riverside gardens on Saturday 8th September, from 11am to 4pm.  Free of charge and open to all, the tasting will give customers the opportunity to sample a selection of Caviste’s everyday drinking and fine wines, especially selected for autumn drinking.

April 2007:  The Cellar Door Opens New Shop, Caviste, In Stockbridge, Hampshire
Just four years after David Thomas and his wife established independent wine merchant, The Cellar Door, in the Hampshire village of Overton, the company is expanding its business with the opening of its sister shop, Caviste in the pretty town of Stockbridge. 

From its picturesque courtyard setting opposite The Greyhound on Stockbridge High Street, Caviste brings the same combination of top quality wines and expert service and advice to the Stockbridge market that has marked The Cellar Door out as one of the UK’s leading independent wine merchants.  

Both shops stock an extensive range of wines which showcase the best that winemaking has to offer – from established classic producers to the emerging stars of the New and Old World, and from everyday drinking choices to wines for entertaining, special occasions and for cellaring.  Selected by winemaker David Thomas, the constantly evolving wine list celebrates the small, independent producer, with many wines discovered whilst in the vineyards of the world’s most exciting wine regions.

With wines open for tasting throughout the week, often with visiting winemakers and producers at weekends, as well as tutored tasting evenings and educational courses over the year, the calendar of events in Stockbridge and Overton captures the enjoyment and excitement of the world of wine.

Caviste, Jasmine House, High Street, Stockbridge, Hampshire, SO20 6HB
Tel:  01264 811123
Fax:  01264 811655
E-Mail:  info@caviste.co.uk

September 2006:  South Africa v. Australia Tasting Challenge - Round Two
Friday 22nd September 2006 saw the re-match between the wines of South Africa and those of Australia in The Cellar Door's second blind tasting challenge.  Compered by Observer wine writer Tim Atkin MW, the challenge pitted 9 South African wines, introduced by Richard Kelly MW, against 9 Australian wines selected by David Thomas of The Cellar Door.  Marked by a panel of 40 guests, who enjoyed a buffet supper alongside their wines, the results were as follows:
South Africa - 3
Australia - 6
After South Africa's 2005 win, the scores are now level......we await Round 3 in 2007 in eager anticipation!

November 2005:  Kingsclere Film Club Sideways Tasting Competition
Congratulations to David Goodfellow of Kingsclere who correcly identified the Merlot and the Pinot Noir at The Cellar Door's blind tasting for the Kingsclere Film Club's screening of Sideways.  David win a bottle of De Loach Californian Pinot Noir.

September 2006:  The Cellar Door Wins New Zealand Wine Growers Competition
The Cellar Door has beaten 61 other UK wine merchants to win the prize for the best promotion of the wines of New Zealand.  We are delighted to have been voted the winners of this national competition, which was judged on wine merchants' use of window and shop displays, tastings, marketing communications, website and sales promotion. 

The judges praised our 'excellent entry', which included a Lord of the Rings window display, with Golum fishing in the lake against a backdrop of snow topped mountains and grazing sheep.  Obviously deemed to be so enticing by an opportune passer-by, that our windows were smashed on the last night of the promotion and three bottles of Koura Bay New Zealand Chardonnay taken! 

David and Hannah will be enjoying the prize - a week's wine touring in New Zealand - next March.  We can't wait!

Tasting notes for all New Zealand wines on offer during the promotion can be found in our Summer Newsletter (see below).

NEWSLETTERS

Click here to view our Summer 2005 Newsletter, Cellar Notes.

Click here to view the Spring 2005 edition of Cellar Notes.

OTHER NEWS.............

June 2005:  South Africa v. Australia Tasting Challenge - Friday 3rd June
Such was the interest in the vinous test match between these two Southern Hemisphere nations, that we had to host the tasting and supper at The Overton Church Rooms to accommodate the swollen numbers.  We were joined by two Masters of Wine, journalist Tim Atkin and South African expert, Richard Kelly.  The contest was over nine categories of wine, including sparkling, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, Cabernet and fortified.  It was an evening when the people’s vote counted, and with a large number of Springbok shirts within the crowd, the Aussie wines had an uphill battle.  There were some close calls, but South Africa lapped up the votes winning 8 wines to 1.  The startled Tim Atkin had scored the Australians over the Springboks, and suggested that he was ‘out of touch’.  After the 90 minutes of combat, party atmosphere resumed as everyone tucked into a delicious supper, washed down by more Southern Hemisphere wine.  As they say down under – ‘a top night…!’

February 2005:  Independent Wine Merchant of the Year 2005 Awards
We had a great night at The Dorchester on Tuesday 8th February for the OLN (Off Licence News) Drinks Retailing Awards 2005.  Now in its third year the awards scheme is the only competition that recognises excellence across every part of the drinks trade.  The Cellar Door was short-listed as one of only three finalists in the country for the Independent Wine Merchant of the Year 2005 Award, and here’s what the judges, who visited us in November, wrote: 

Independent Wine Merchant of the Year 2005 Category
‘This category attracted more entries than any other, and the standard has never been higher, reflecting the resurgence of the independent wine retailing scene and the quality of many businesses that have emerged in the past few years.  The finalists have very different trading styles but possess a passion for sharing great wine with their customers.

The Cellar Door – Independent Wine Merchant of the Year 2005 Finalist
If you’re looking for credentials to run a successful wine business than you can’t do much better than the team at The Cellar Door.  With international winemaking, professional marketing and wine sales skills, the independent has boosted its elite client list from 150 to more than 800 in just a year.

David and Hannah Thomas bought the former Richard Mallinson Wine Merchants in 2003 and set about creating a subtle shift in both looks and ambition.  The aim is to feature more bijou producers among its 600 wines using specialist importers, such as Raymond Reynolds, Eclectic and Gauntley’s.  David has even launched his own agency, representing a group of South Australian winemakers. 

“I enjoy developing people’s passion,” says Roseworthy-trained David.  With tutored tastings booked until May and more than half The Cellar Door’s sales in the £6-£25 bracket he’s obviously succeeding.’

The winner of the award was Off The Vine, an independent with three retail outlets in Kent, East Sussex and Hertfordshire.  Although we didn’t win, we are extremely proud to have been selected as one of the top three independent wine merchants in the country, and would like to thank the growing team at The Cellar Door for all their hard work, our families for their enormous support since we opened in 2003 and, of course, our customers.
         
David and Hannah