Gorey Wine Company Ltd, located in the heart of Jersey’s St Martin, has celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Known as Gorey Wine Cellar (GWC) since a rebrand in April 2015, the business was established at the Mehret family-owned Houguemont Farm which it continues to occupy to this day. Originally producing rhubarb wine, known locally as ‘Jersey Cool Cat’, the business quickly progressed over the years and started to import wine by the barrel.
Mirto Sappé, one of Jersey’s most recognised and respected Italian restaurateurs from Piemonte, Italy, took ownership of the company in the early 1980’s and ran it for nearly 35 years before selling it on to the current owner, Matt Barnes. Matt previously owned the Blue Fish Cafés in St Helier & St Aubin before spending 9 years in Australia with his family where he ran a boutique wine store in Palm Beach in Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
GWC now stocks over 500 hand-picked wines from all over the world specialising in Burgundy, Italy & South Africa. Matt also works with numerous local suppliers, such as Jersey Kitchen, to host and cater for corporate and private events on the island.
Commenting on the anniversary, Matt Barnes, said: “GWC is driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, which has enabled us to constantly push boundaries and expand our offering to customers. I believe we differentiate ourselves from other established competitors in the market by providing a more personal service. I want to sincerely thank our customers and partners for the trust they have placed in GWC that has allowed us to continue serving you today.”
They will be launching a new ecommerce website and Shopify-enabled Facebook page in time for Christmas.
