Battersea-based Artisan & Vine forced to close

Published: 09 February, 2012

Battersea wine bar Artisan & Vine has closed after struggling to make money from offering local and natural wines in a recession.

"Sticking to my principles on natural and local wines and food may have been what cost me my business, but changing to a more generic option would have cost us Artisan & Vine," said founder Kathryn O'Mara following news that the bar on St John's Hill has ceased trading.

Reduced consumer spend combined with a neighbourhood location are two factors O'Mara points to: "As the prospect of recession came closer, it became clear that success on our neighbourhood street would require moving away from my vision of local and natural wines and food. Artisan wines and food simply couldn't compete on cost with their mass produced and chemically manipulated counterparts."

Trends towards drinking at home helped increase off-licence sales for Artisan & Vine, particularly in the last six months, according to O'Mara, but she said the nature of the wine bar rent and overheads demanded a higher ratio of on-premise sales. "It became evident that a suburban location in this economic climate was not right for our concept."

Artisan & Vine had twice been awarded the International Wine Challenge's Small Independent Merchant of the Year. The bar has championed local and natural wine producers since its inception, in particular English wine producers. In 2011, Artisan & Vine won the International Wine Challenge English Wine Specialist of the Year for its efforts in promoting the English wine industry.

"We leave Artisan & Vine proud in the knowledge that so many people enjoyed so many occasions - special and every day - within our humble walls. We are eternally grateful for the amazing support we've received from the wine industry, awarding bodies, neighbourhood traders and the most adventurous and enthusiastic customers and staff a wine bar could ever hope for," O'Mara said.

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