A British Airways pilot and his first class flight attendant wife hope their new wine merchants, Salut Wine, which opens in Manchester in August, will help keep their feet firmly on the floor with what they claim will have the largest Enomatic machine installation in the city.
Sara and Jon Saunby, Salut Wines
A British Airways pilot and his first class flight attendant wife hope their new wine merchants, Salut Wine, which opens in Manchester in August, will help keep their feet firmly on the floor with what they claim will have the largest Enomatic machine installation in the city.
The new shop will be able to offer 32 wines by the glass at any one time thanks to the couple's investment in Enomatic machines. A further 10 wines will also be available by the glass.
British Airways pilot Jon Saunby and his first class flight attendant wife Sara plan to open Salut Wine on August 18. The venture, said Sara, has been in the planning for the last four years.
She told Harpers.co.uk: "It all started when my husband and I took a wine course to really have a better understanding of how to read a wine list. We completed the WSET level 2 and then moved on to the level 3 courses. The more we learned about wine the more we thought 'this is a really nice world'." "But it can be intimidating," she added.
The couple wanted to offer customers a wine experience that lent itself to exploring new regions and varieties.
Saunby said: "It really takes the fear out of buying and allows customers an opportunity to try wine before they buy. When you strip out the fear of not knowing what you might get if you purchase a whole bottle, a customer can be more adventurous. We want people to explore. At the end of the day it is just wine, it isn't rocket science."
Finding the right location took a long time and the couple finally found the right site at an old Oddbins unit on Cooper Street. "It is great because people still remember it as a place related to wine," said Saunby.
As well as the 42 wines by the glass, the shop will also be offering fives tapas style food plates and 200 different wines in the shop. Stephen Rosser will run Wine and Spirit Education Trust levels 2 and 3 courses on Monday and Tuesday nights, and there will be other less formal masterclasses scheduled throughout the year.