A new boutique wine shop and bottle bar, with a focus on female producers, brought a taste of California to Crookes when it opened its doors last month.
Owners Sarah Hatton and Virginia Myers have transformed a former charity shop on Crookes High Street into Tenaya Wines, a stylish bottle shop and drinking space inspired by the West Coast of America.
Virginia explained: “It’s inspired by places in California where you can sit and have a really casual, relaxed drink but still get really good, honest service.
“We both love California. We love the vibe and we love the produce. The people are so relaxed, open and friendly, so I think we’re just wanting to bring a bit of that lifestyle over here. Sheffield’s a naturally friendly place, so it’s a good fit!”
Between them, the pair have over 20 years’ experience in the wine industry, giving them a vast amount of knowledge, not to mention qualifications (both having qualifications from WSET, the Wine and Spirits Education Trust), when it comes to the best way to enjoy a glass of vino.
Their friendship was formed whilst working together at popular Sheffield wine shop Starmore Boss, where Sarah, who is also a designer creating knitting patterns (ask your nan), worked for eight years.
Prior to meeting Sarah, Virginia had a stint managing an independent wine shop in Winchester, before moving to California and becoming a winemaker for an independent urban winery in San Francisco.
The name Tenaya is a nod to that part of the world and comes from the idyllic Tenaya Canyon, Creek and Lake in Yosemite Valley, California. As you might expect, the shop will offer lots of Californian choices – Virginia feels confident there will be more than most shops in the UK – plus wines from around the world, and even a few from little old Blighty.
Wines will be available to drink in by the glass and there will be a small menu of a couple of reds, a couple of whites plus an orange, rose or fizz, but you will also be able to buy any bottle from the shop and drink that inside for a small amount of corkage.
The venue is working with Porter Brook Deli to offer tempting accompanying snacks which will allow you to build your own cheese and savoury picnic boards. This is another nod to Californian wine culture and can be enjoyed at the table with cutlery and plates provided. They are also happy to match their wines for diners heading to eat at nearby Crookes bistro No Name.
The vast selection of wines will cover all price points and will focus on female-produced wines and sustainable brands. They want Tenaya to be an accessible, inclusive and fun destination.
Sarah said: “We want people to feel welcome and not to feel intimidated by the wine. I think a lot of wine bars can feel like quite dark, scary spaces, where if you don’t know what something means, you shouldn’t even go in.
You won’t have to know a lot about wine to visit, we can help people to discover something new and find a bottle they absolutely love.”
Virginia added: “We want to be accessible because over the years, working in wine, we’ve had quite a lot of sexist experiences. It can be rather a male-dominated business which makes it feel intimidating and quite old fashioned.
“Overall, we want it to feel modern, fresh and an easy space to be relaxed in. Just a nice place to be.”
Tenaya is open now at 239 Crookes. Opening hours are Tues, Weds 11am-7pm and Thurs-Sat 11am-10pm.
