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Bristol to welcome new indie merchant

Located in the Totterdown area, the shop will be a hybrid, serving wine and simple bites to customers as a wine bar, as well as offering retail sales.

Working with importers such as Graft and Modal Wines, Carouse will aim to promote a varied selection of wines, while prioritising producers that have a mind for the environment.

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Faye Buckle, the sole owner of Carouse, said: “It is sometimes quite nice and refreshing to go somewhere where there is a little bit of everything, and the wines by the glass give me an opportunity to put things on that are a little bit different.

“So, great varieties, [but] not from their typical regions, or styles of wine that are more challenging. We can guide the customer through it and maybe offer them a little bit of background information.”

The shop will have a community focused ethos. Buckle added: “I wanted to be a neighbourhood spot. I wanted to be a part of a community and build a real local base for people, and for me to also have lots of return customers that become family and friends.”

Buckle, who began working in hospitality when she was 15 years old, has had roles all over the trade, such as sommelier, a cellar hand and an assistant winemaker (in multiple locations including New Zealand). Buckle also spent three years at Bristol wine merchant Avery’s and her most recent job was in PR for Westbury Communications, a company specialising in wine industry clients.

She commented: “Without sounding too full of it, I wouldn't say many people have had as varied an experience, and I have made sure that, with each job, I’ve gone into a new sector so I can really learn about each element and what actually builds the wine industry.”

A full interview with Faye Buckle on the opening of Carouse will run this coming Friday.

• Independent
• hybrid
• bristol
• Indie Merchant
• Carouse Wines
• Faye Buckle