Fore Street in Kingsbridge has an exciting new independent wine merchant. It’s owned and managed by Simon and Jill Luscombe who are clearly passionate about wine. Here at southhams.com we rather like our wine so we decided to find out more…

Tell us a little about the history of Quay Wines

Since a boy I have been interested in wine, which is thanks to my father. I remember on a Saturday wandering around Arthur Rackhams with my father, deciding what wine would go with the Sunday Roast. All the different labels fascinated me. In 1979 my parents decided to invest in a Newsagents in Chichester, West Sussex. In 1982 My father decided to divide the shop and create a space to sell wine, he named the business, Luscombes and this is where it all started. This grew into a successful business in itself. We brought the business into a new era by launching our own website which traded as Quay Wines. In 2013 I married my lovely wife, Jill. Chichester now has lost it's appeal to us and we started to look around for other sites. Number 60 Fore Street came on to the market and we fell in love with it. We decided to make the big move and start afresh in Devon opening the new shop under our online name. We have since learned that my ancestors lived in Kingsbridge and the surrounding villages.

What’s your favourite wine at the moment?

Currently my favourite wine is Castello Monaci Coribante from Salice Salentino, Puglia, Italy. Made from Malvasia Nera and Syrah grapes  A delicious full-bodied red which has a sweet edge, packed with Morello Cherry fruit.

What exciting news have you got coming up?

We are excited (Covid under control of course) to be able to open the basement of the shop to a tasting cellar which will have Enomatic self serve wine machines, where customers can come and try wines that would normally be "off piste" to their normal selection. We also intend to hold wine and spirit tasting events.

Pop in to Quay Wines today to meet Simon and Jill and pick up a bottle (or two!). They’re open Monday to Saturday 10am - 6pm (Even through lockdown) so it’s easy to call on your way home from work. They're open instore and online with local deliveries and deliveries across the uk. Take a look at their listing on southhams.com for their full contact details. If you prefer you can visit their website and shop online at www.quaywines.co.uk