Meet The Member - Penny Edwards of Cellar Door Wines
cellar door wines
We caught up with our member Penny of Cellar Door Wines to talk all things Wine.
Hi penny, it’s nice to speak to you today. you source wonderful wines from around the globe. How does finding and stocking new wines generally come about for you?
Hello, lovely to chat to you today. I’ve been in the wine trade for over 20 years (starting off in Oddbins in the early 2000’s) and I’ve travelled quite extensively. Wherever I’ve travelled in the world, I’ve made sure that I’ve visited vineyards and winemakers! Here in the UK, I attend several trade/ buyer tastings to keep abreast of the current trends in the wine world.
If people have a new-found passion for wine, where’s a good place to start to find their favourites?
Start with coming into our beautiful store in St. Albans and talking to one of our WSET qualified team, or attend some of our informative and fun producer tastings. Or you could join our wine club! We have a bespoke wine club subscription. Members who sign up receive specially curated cases on a monthly or quarterly basis based on their budget and taste profile.
How important is wine and food pairing do you feel? Do you have any pairing recommendations?
Food and wine go hand in hand. We hardly ever talk about wine in our shop without referencing the perfect food match for it. My Colleague Geraldine and I have some great tried and tested food and wine pairing recommendations. My favourite at the moment is the aromatic and slightly off dry Cederberg Bukettraube with Thai Green chicken curry. Geraldine has a lot of experience pairing natural wines and Pet Nats with Korean Cuisine as her partner is from South Korea.
What can people expect from your Cellar Door Wines showroom in St. Albans?
A rustic, charming cellar atmosphere. Our shelves are packed with interesting wines from around the globe and our team is very friendly and knowledgeable. You can taste wine from our wine dispensers that always have 16 different wines to sample.
It’s an obvious question but do you have a favourite grape?
My favourite grape variety is Nebbiolo. It has many faces and expressions depending on where it’s grown and who makes wines from it. It also has great longevity in the bottle. Some of my most memorable wine experiences have been drinking Nebbiolo and I’ve had the great privilege of drinking some beautifully aged wines from this grape. My favourite producer is Travaglini in the DOCG of Gattinara, Piemonte, Italy.
Where would you go in St. Albans to enjoy a beautiful glass of vino? Do you stock your wine locally?
Laconda Bagutta on George Street has a fabulous, ever-changing list of fine wine by the glass. We have a wholesale side to the business and sell our wine to several pubs and venues in Hertfordshire. We help our trade customers with menu planning, food pairing and design, and because we are local can offer smaller, more regular deliveries.
Finally, what exciting developments can we expect from Cellar Door Wines in the next few months?
Cellar Door Wines turns 20 this year! To celebrate, we will be hosting a series of interesting fine wine tastings throughout the year and will be hosting our big Christmas tasting in a very special venue - keep an eye on our website for updates!