30th Anniversary
1979 : Wine Schoppen
It all started with a glass of Trockenbeerenauslese. Anne and Eddy Coghlan, who were working in Germany at the time, were given some of this luscious, ssweet wine by a friend and were immediately hooked. Their interest in German wines developed from there. By the time the couple moved to England in 1970, what had started out as a hobby had grown into something more. They were bringing German wines into the country for their own consumption, as well as supplying it to their friends.
When they finally approached the bank manager for a loan to finance their burgeoning business, not only did he say yes but he also placed the first order. The Coghlans began trading from home in 1979 and the Wine Schoppen in Abbeydale road opened in 1981. Despite its German origins, more than half the shop's stock in 1991 was French. German wines come next, with 110 types on offer. The remainder come from all over the world including Russia, South and North America, the Eastern Bloc, Spain, Portugal and Australia.
One of their more unsual finds was some bottles from Tasr Nicholas II's collection of dessert wines and ports which were being auctioned at Sothebys. They managed to purchase 7 cases of 1940 Massandra White Muscat... which is still talked about to this day by those lucky enough to tray a bottle!
In 1991 Wine Schoppen won the coveted German Specialist of the Year Award by the Which Wine Guide.
Eddy Coghlan rotating bottles in the wine cellars at Wine Schoppen's Abbeydale Road outlet. Eagle-eyed viewers will spot the same bin numbers on the shelves for German wines which are still in use today!
1990 : Barrels & Bottles
Roll out the Barrels! An adventure in wine selection awaited people Sheffield's new wine warehouse at Walker Street, where £126,000 had been spent on refurbishing a former habberdashery under the Wicker Arches. The new shop opened 24th September 1990. For the first time in the UK customers had the chance to taste wines before buyig - the tasting room had a white light for viewing the wines, a spittoon and an environment that did not suffer from outside influences.
Underneath the Arches Barrels & Bottles had found the ideal location for a wine business. The stone walls were 3 feet thick, and that with the solid wood ceiling above and the concrete floor makes for the constant temperature (it varies by only 1 degree) which suits wine.
Prices ranged from £1.99 for a bottle of Liebfraumilch to £27.20 for a bottle of Vega Sicillia. Of 40000 wines tasted each year only about 600 are selected. The emphasis at Barrels & Bottles was (and still is) small, independent wine growers rather than well known labels - quality is everything.
Our love with vintage buses was evident at an early age with the lauch of Barrels & Bottles Wicker Arches shop in Sheffield. Andrew Coghlan in tails with Anne & Eddy shown far right.
1993 : Manor House Hotel & Restaurant
May 1993 saw Sheffield wine merchants Barrels & Bottles buy the former Manor Hotel on Dronfield High Street. The wheel had turned full circle for Andrew, who started is career in hotels at the Manor on Sunday nights when he used to look after operations for the Taylors.
He went on to a degree in hotel management and was in charge of a Swallow Hotel before concentratin on the catering and wine division of the Coghlans family business. Head Chef was Mark Barrett formerly of the Charnwood.
Buying the hotel was the perfect foil to the wine companies with the introduction of food and wine matching tips in the restaurant. Diners will be advised on the best combinations with the ability to buy smaller quantites to try several wines with each meal. A specialist beer list was introduced to extend the range.
Our first hosted event at the Manor House a Champagne Pol Roger gourmet dinner. Chefs (l-r) Simon Higgins (bother of our internet manager John Higgins), Mark Barret & Mark Rogerson
1994 : Oak Street
August 1994 saw the move from Abbeydale Road to Oak Street at Heely, Sheffield. Having outgrown the small site on Abbeydale corner the storage unit was converted to include a shop, office space and thousands of square feet to store the ever expanding range of winess from around the world.
The new store was opened by Charles Benoit Heidsieck, ancestor of the legendary Champagne Charlie Heidsieck. Wielding a sabrage sword he duly cut the ribbon before turning his attention to opening bottles of Champagne for the guests.
Charles-Benoit Heidsieck opens the new Wine Schoppen store in Heeley.
1996 : The Internet
1996 saw Barrels & Bottles entry onto the internet. 13 years does not seem long but is an age in terms of the internet with us being one of the very first independent wine merchants with a functioning website. Thankfully we ditched the love affair with orange quite quickly!
1998 : Forces Joined
With proposed changes to the ring road and traffic system around the Wicker we took the decision to integrate Barrels & Bottles into Oak Street alongside Wine Schoppen and operate for the first time out of the same building.
New offices, constructed on the first floor, were occupied by Wine Schoppen with Barrels & Bottles running the retail shop and ground floor office spaces. The small shop area was unable to cope with the additional customers leading to the building of a new tasting room and opening out the old room to make an large, open-plan shop.
A very youthful Mark Price, now our National Accounts Manager, awaits the first guests to the opening of the new store at Heeley.
2002 : Millthorpe
The launch of Coghlans School of Wine and Cooking saw us rennovate the old restaurant at Millthorpe and turn it into a modern cookery school. Run by Janet Coghlan and chef Simon Lilley the cookery school catered for all levels of experience from boiling an egg to advanced gourmet skills.
Guest demonstrations from visiting chefs saw a range of specialist events featuring professional tips and tricks in the kitchen. A single dining table and open kitchen made a unique combination at the time in private dining.
2006 : Sheepbridge
To accommodate the ever expanding wine business and cookery school we moved to a purpose built unit (our current home) at Sheepbridge.
Under one roof at last Wine Schoppen handles the gift packaging, Barrels & Bottles the wine business and Coghlans Cookery School the chocolate and cookery classes.
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