St Andrews Wine Company

📚 BOOK CLUB ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨

DATE: 13 August @ 7pm
BOOK: The Spy Who Loved by Clare Mulley
WINE: Kardos Furmint

We’re switching it up this month and delving into non-fiction. Stay with us…

Can real life be stranger and more exciting than fiction? The Spy Who Loved is the story of Christine Granville the UK’s first and longest serving female spy in WWII. Exhibiting superhuman courage, Christina - a Polish born countess - turned spy for the Allies, wasn’t born to live a boring and sedentary life. In fact, it almost seems she was born to be a spy. Whether infiltrating Poland from Hungary over the Carpathians by ski in the dead of winter, parachuting into France, or rescuing two comrades from Gestapo HQ, she never faltered. The tangled web of romance, action, adventure, and espionage is straight out of a James Bond movie. The end of the war brought a very different life for Christine - one that ultimately led to her murder in a South Kensington Hotel.

In ode to an incredibly unique woman who began her espionage career in Hungary, we’ve paired this book with a delicious and unique Furmint.

As always, book club is free to attend but please let us know if you’re coming as our shop is small.

Purchase your book at Topping & Co and bring your receipt in for 15% off a bottle of our paired wine!

We’ll have both snacks and wine at book club, but feel free to free to bring additional snacks to share with the groups!

See you in August!

📚 BOOK CLUB REMINDER 🚨

Book club has come around again!

We’ll be meeting on 9 July at 7pm in the Shop to chat about the book, pop Champagne, sip table wines, and enjoy some yummy snacks.

Feel free to come along even if you’ve not read the book (and are ok with spoilers). There are still a few spaces left so spread the word and bring your friends!

Reminder that book club is free to join but please let us know if you’ll be attending as our Shop is small and we can only seat so many people.

BOOK: The Measure by Nikki Erlick
WINE: Champagne Gallimard Blanc de Noirs

Don’t forget to bring your receipt from Topping & Co into the Shop for 15% a bottle of the paired wine.

Let’s be honest, the sun had us a bit loopy and the wine fridge has slowly ticked over from red to whites like this Calcaire.

Complex with aromas of lemon, grapefruit and seashell salinity, the palate is rounded but balanced with bright acidity. A long, lemony finish, chuck it in the cooler and head to the beach!

Best thing, it’s on sale!

Anyone else mind-boggled that it’s July already?

The best thing about making it past the half-way mark on this year is that it’s Sparkling Wine month! It’s also Germany Riesling month! Too much to celebrate…

Our choice to celebrate German Riesling month, Von Hovel Saar Riesling Kabinett. Made by a seventh generation winemaker, it comes from 21 hectares on incredibly steep slopes in the Mosel.

Bright apple bursts from the glass with wet slate and notes of beeswax. Featuring great acidity and with a lovely finish we think it’s best enjoyed with a larger glass! But…if you insist on food, smoked salmon or any seafood really or a washed rind cheese would be perfect.

Normally I’d have some staff member occupying this chair doing their best to distract me from work. But now all but one has gone…

Early closing today - as Laura, John & Nat are leaving, we are having a farewell dinner tonight so will be closing at 6pm. Sorry for any inconvenience caused.

Another book club in the…books 😉
Add our July book club to your calendars!

DATE: 9 July @ 7pm
BOOK: The Measure by Nikki Erlick
WINE: Champagne Gallimard Père et Fils

What would happen if you were given the chance to know how long you’d live? The Measure looks at what would happen if a box showed up at your doorstep overnight and you could choose to know how long your life would be. Would you even look? Follow a fabulous cast of characters as they navigate this new knowledge.

And because it a good reminder to live your life, let’s pop the Champagne!

As always, book club is free to attend but please let us know if you’re coming as our shop is small.

Purchase your book at Topping & Co and bring your receipt in for 15% off a bottle of our paired champagne!

We’ll have both snacks and wine at book club, but feel free to free to bring additional snacks to share with the groups!

See you in July!

How is it possible that it’s graduation already?

We’re saying goodbye to some of our best friends, which will definitely require a feel-better bottle next week, but this week it’s all about celebrating their incredible achievements.

Whether you’re celebrating a Master’s student, philosophy grad, marketing major, art history scholar, future strategist, soon-to-be doctor, or anything in between these are our top celebration picks.

HAPPY WORLD GIN DAY!!!

Be honest. While wine is our favourite, there’s some days when nothing beats a cold gin and tonic. Our favourite, Isle of Bute.

Scottish-made, the stills are actually charged with oyster shells! Blended with citrus and botanicals, this gin is savoury and can be paired perfectly with any seafood, tonic, or popped into a shaken martini.

Enjoy!

HAPPY WORLD COGNAC DAY!!!!

Cognac is one of our favourite drinks. Made in, you guessed it, Cognac, a region in France, it’s a distilled grape alcohol which is then aged. The VSOP category (very superior old pale) is aged at least four years.

This Méry Melrose is produced by Francoise Mery hailing from a long line of producers. Made from organic grapes, it has notes of vanilla and ripe fruits. Apples and apricots come through with oak notes & toffee and fudge. It’s gracefully round with a long aftertaste and a concentration of fruity aromas.

Peter does his best Frankenstein impression in anticipation of June book club!

Last chance to sign up!

DATE: 11 June @ 7pm
BOOK: Our Hideous Progeny by C. E. McGill
WINE: Metamorphosis Feteascǎ Regalǎ

Book club is free to attend but please let us know if you plan to come as we have a small shop and do need to limit places.

Wine and snacks will be provided!

We’re not sure if .r.coffin visiting them at the beginning of the year had much to do with their success, but she had a fabulous time nevertheless! In the meantime you can buy their wine on our website or in store!

Need wines for Grad week? We can help you out!

We have a fantastic selection of wines available for pre-order and delivery so you have nothing to worry about in a hectic week.

Feel free to get in touch via email to [email protected] or just send us a DM to discuss options available.

A massive thank you to everyone who came out for book club on Tuesday! We had an incredible chat about Still Life’s characters, themes, history, and the (potential of) subtle messaging from the author. The discussion, as always, was followed by a bit of raucous wine tasting, snacking, and friendly chatting. If you heard loud noises coming from the Shop around 9pm, we’re not sorry. We were having too much fun!

🚨 JUNE BOOK CLUB 🚨

Book: Our Hideous Progeny
Wine: Metamorphosis Fetească Regala

Date: 11 June @ 7pm
Location: The Shop on Bell St

A continuation of Frankenstein, this book follows Frankenstein’s great-niece who discovers papers compelling her to look further into her great-uncles life and disappearance. Family, loss, science, and passion weave the tale together. While not necessarily the mad-cap adventure I might’ve thought from the cover, the story kept me turning the pages.

Those of you who were at book club on Tuesday when I admitted I hadn’t finished it, I picked it up yesterday and didn’t put it down!

Interested in joining our June club? Send us a note to book your spot. Free to join, but our Shop is small so we do have to limit numbers. We also always love snack contributions! Feel free to bring a baked good or savoury snack for the group 😊

As always, if you buy your book at Topping, you can bring in your receipt for 15% off a bottle of the paired wine!

Those of you following along our little Shop journey you may have heard that it’s the end of an era. Laura, Natalie and John are all getting ready to leave us. Join our newsletter for more Q&As with them but here are their favourite Wine Co memories and wish them well next time you’re in the Shop.

It’s hard to choose, but here are my top three:
Doing a spontaneous sleepover in the Shop with Ben. It gets quite cold.
Throwing a dance party on a random Tuesday with Ben and Sydney and having one
of my philosophy tutors walking in on us jamming while I was meant to be
concentrating on a presentation for her. She said, “I’ll never mention this again if you
never mention how much wine I buy here.”
Honestly, just doing coffee runs for the Shop and picking up sweet treats for the
team.
~ Laura

I just love when the whole staff is in the shop together chatting and chilling. Although,
I’ll admit that’s not the best for business…
~ John

It’s impossible to name just one! I’ve loved the endless chaos that goes on behind
the scenes of the little Shop on Bell Street. I’ve enjoyed the numerous debates with
Peter about Scottish politics, the sing-offs with John when customers aren’t in the
Shop, the cardboard fencing matches with Cate, Laura’s excellent southern accent
during the stock counts, and Miller’s dance moves at events. The whole time has
been experience start to finish.
~ Natalie