Although it has been open for a couple of months now, Wino remains one of Leeds’ best-kept secrets – a wine bar featuring an eclectic selection of international wines and a small, but unique, array of charcuterie platters.
Tucked away in the business district, Wino may be off the beaten path for Leeds’ wine-drinking crowd, but those willing to explore may well find their taste buds rewarded.
Bella Jordan Photography
‘Wine can be a stuffy man’s game,’ says owner Sakina Fotheringham, who runs Wino with her husband Ben. ‘We wanted to create an environment where guests could feel comfortable asking about wine.
'Our wine list offers alternatives to what guests might usually choose – we don’t have a Merlot or a Shiraz – but our wines offer a talking point. A bar is often judged on its house wine and thankfully ours are excellent.’
Bella Jordan Photography
Wino also features somewhat quirky charcuterie platters. Alongside the traditional meat and cheese boards, there is the Mediterranean board which hosts marinated silver-skinned anchovies and sliced octopus sourced from Salanort, a family that have been farming octopuses for three hundred years.
Wino is also a merchant off licence, meaning all platters and drinks are available for takeaway, and there are numerous in-house deals, such as a free meat platter for every bottle of wine ordered. For those who aren’t geared towards the grape, there are wine-sized bottles of Peroni, too.
While in one of the less lively areas of Leeds, Wino is hoping to open the doors for more businesses in the area. ‘It’s up and coming,’ Sakina explains, ‘We wanted to create something that’s tucked out of the way where you get friendly, personalised service; that place between home and work where you can relax. The future of the business district was something that we wanted to be a part of.’
Wino, 69 St Paul's Street, Leeds, LS1 2TE.
Find some of the best independent bars in Leeds for 30-somethings.