When Cellar Wines opened in Ripley, it was impossible to predict what an impact this unassuming new wine retailer would have on wine loving local residents. Ripley itself has emerged over the last few years as a bit of a culinary hotspot; Drakes, a Michelin star restaurant, is situated opposite Cellar and Pinnock’s, an award-winning coffee shop, has been pivotal too, plus a fantastic farm shop at A. Luff & Sons at Ripley Nurseries on the outskirts of the village. In addition, local community leaders set up a monthly farmers’ market loved by locals and those further afield too! That said, it was a good bet that a wine shop would also be well received.

Cellar Wines is housed in a historical fifteenth century building which during the Second World War was purchased by a pharmacist, Kenneth White. He is revered for being the first producer of penicillin for civilians and the shop now has a blue plaque to commemorate his contribution. So, with a listed building and a mission for excellence, this little shop opened quietly.

When one of the founding partners left, the original investor (who prefers to remain anonymous) took the helm and really unique elements started to unfold. Originally focused on French wines, Cellar now embraces the globe, bringing in superb South African wines from rebel wine makers the Kloof Brothers, Galician artisan producer Benito Santos (I love the labelling on this wine) and, of course, award-winning wines from Surrey itself.

For those who have stood in a supermarket staring at an unappealing display of wines, then this shop is a must. A bottle of ‘The flower and the bee’ costs only £12.80 here from an artisanal Spanish producer with vines growing on organic soil, while in contrast a bottle of High Clandon Cuvée Reserve Vintage costs £45. In fact, all the bottles of wine have an interesting story and I would be proud to take any to a wine and food event.

For those who like advice on what to buy, then manager Andy is on hand to help. What I love about the staff at Cellar Wines is their brilliant customer service. There is no wine snobbery at play, just a desire to share their knowledge of the truly eclectic and interesting selection of wines and spirits with customers. Prices start at the accessible for all and rise to aficionado status. Guidance from knowledgeable staff, a great selection of tasting samples and a fantastic range of expertly curated options creates an exciting retail experience. Judging by the rave reviews of the shop, it’s a shared opinion.

Local vineyards are featured and celebrated at Cellar Wines too. It’s been a hugely important decade in England for winemakers and we have several award- winning vineyards in Surrey. Greyfriars and the Albury Estate for example are within ten miles of the shop, as is Clandon. In addition to wines, customers will find local superstar craft gin Silent Pool and newcomer Mews too. Craft beers are also on offer such as Hop Art based in Farnham. A collaboration by native Belgian and Italian beer makers whose products are gaining a large following is in evidence with stylish labels and a catchy name showcasing delicious beer with four core styles.

To support the wine on offer, Cellar also has a delightful cheese counter with a range of local and imported cheeses and a selection of Cornish charcuterie, including a fantastic smoked chorizo.
It’s the best I have tried outside Spain and at a recent wine tasting at Cellar it was a shared sentiment. Local cheeses include Surrey’s famous Norbury Blue and Dirty Vicar from Michaela Allum in Box Hill.

A goat’s cheese cheddar and a delicious Italian cheese named ‘3 Latti’ (made from a combination of cow, goat and ewe milk) also feature. A supporting range of interesting cheese biscuits, Miller’s Damsels and Mondovino cheese crackers in packaging that oozes sixties’ glitz and cocktail bar culture are available. Choose from wild mushroom plus other equally tantalising flavours complementing the cheeses on offer. But the icing on the cake is the range of interesting accompaniments Cellar stocks to create the perfect cheeseboard which I discovered when I attended a tasting of South African wines.

Cellar Wines calls itself a ‘boutique’ and here’s why. It’s a shop, a bar, a lounge and an event venue, it even has a small outside terrace at the back. Book a private party, supper club, buy a ticket for a wine tasting or design a bespoke event: anything is possible here and that’s surprising in what is a relatively small space. In a lock-up down the road, Cellar keeps a range of chairs, tables, linenware, wine glasses and crockery: in fact anything needed for a stunning evening of food and wine.

Tomato and chilli jam

I make a batch of tomato and chilli jam every Christmas to use as gifts: it’s become expected! This is a lovely, hot, spicy relish that’s great in a fried egg sandwich or on a gorgeous cheese board. Be sure to use proper Asian fish sauce and not a supermarket own label as these don’t deliver on flavour. On its own, fish sauce smells pretty awful, but it’s the essence of many Asian dishes and a winner here.

Ingredients
500g fresh vine tomatoes
Four medium size red chillies, remove tough stalk and roughly chop
Four cloves garlic, peeled
50g fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
30ml Asian fish sauce
300g coconut or palm sugar
100ml red wine vinegar
One bunch green onions, washed and finely chopped

Method
• Wash and roughly chop the tomatoes. Purée half the tomatoes with the chillies, garlic, fresh ginger and fish sauce in a blender until smooth (the tomato seeds contain pectin and help the jam to set).
• Pour the purée into a thick-based saucepan and add the sugar and vinegar. Bring to the boil slowly, stirring frequently.
• Add the remaining tomatoes and green onions. Simmer the mixture over a really low heat for one and a half hours, skimming off any foam that develops. Stir regularly, making sure the jam does not get stuck on the sides or base of the pan.
• Towards the end of the cooking time, prepare a jar to store. Either one large (one litre) or a couple of smaller jars will do*.
• Place a shallow dish in the oven set on low with about two to three centimetres of cold water in the base. Place the jars and lids in the dish and leave in the oven for eight to ten minutes.
• Pour the jam into the warm jars and cool to room temperature. When cool, seal the jars and store in the refrigerator. The jam will keep for three months.

*If making the jam for gifts, use six smaller jars.

Shirlee Posner, www.eatsurrey.co.uk

Arriving at the wine tasting evening, it was amazing to see how the shop had been transformed into an intimate venue. We were greeted on arrival with a glass of our first wine from the Waterford Estate (Sauvignon Blanc), delicious and crisp it set the tone. I have to be honest, I was not sure what to expect as other wine tastings experienced have been boring, fusty and bit highbrow for me. Our tutor for the evening at Cellar was a breath of fresh air. Easy to talk to and a walking encyclopedia of wine, it was impossible not to be in awe. She led us through the six wines of the evening, embellishing each with interesting stories of the vineyards, their geographic locations and how this affected the resulting wine. It was an interesting political history too, as for a long time South African products were restricted because of Apartheid.

Not only was our tutor a brilliant speaker, but she also wasn’t too prescriptive about how to drank wine, she was more advisory. This meant we could drink at our own pace and we weren’t forced into naming fruit/nut/food notes and other associations that I have felt under duress to do at previous events.

One of the highlights of this wine tasting was the addition of cheese and charcuterie nibbles that were in perfect harmony with the wine. Whoever put the programme together knew what they were doing. For example, Keens Cheddar on olive oil crackers with Piccalilli was served with my favourite wine of the evening, Mullineux Kloof Street Red 2014 (£17.50). Stichelton Toast with Killeen Goat Gouda and Pickled Cherries were stunning with the Mullineux Straw Wine, our final tasting and a dessert wine which made a perfect finish. The pickled cherries were fabulous and are now on my list for Christmas Day offerings. My absolute favourite accompaniments though were Wyfe of Bath cheese on water crackers with Acacia Honey & Truffle served with a Chenin Blanc.

I thoroughly recommend a visit to this enterprising wine boutique. Cellar Wines is one of the most creative businesses I have been to recently. But take it one step further and attend one of the tasting events because it’s an education, not only in wine, but in food pairing too! Be warned, Cellar is not open on Sundays or Mondays, but it does have an online shop.

Shirlee Posner

essence info

Cellar Wines
The Old Cellar, High Street, Ripley, Surrey GU23 6BB
Telephone: 01483 610610
Websites: www.cellarwines.co.uk and www.eatsurrey.co.uk

Shirlee Posner is a food writer and blogger at www.eatsurrey.co.uk and provides social media management, web copywriting and food photography.