Liverpool bars and restaurants set to join in first ever Celebrate Wine Week

Bars and restaurants in Liverpool are encouraging people to raise a glass to vino in a new Celebrate Wine Week.

The 10-day event will be held across the city from Friday, February 21, to Sunday, March 2 – and if you don’t know your Pinot from your Prosecco, or your Syrah from your Sauvignon, this could be your time to find out.

Celebrate Wine Week Liverpool is a celebration of the city’s fantastic bars, cafés, pubs and restaurants and the wonderful wines they serve.

All customers have to do is buy a £12 ticket to get access to hundreds of glasses of wine, all at £6 each … and enjoy!

Robert Pettersen, 38, who’s got 20 years’ experience in hospitality, is the man behind the event.

A former general manager of The One O’Clock Gun at the Royal Albert Dock, among a host of other roles across the region, Robert says:

“I’ve worked in hospitality for a while, but I have a young son, Austin, who’s two in February, and I wanted to do something that gave me a better work life balance.

“I really enjoy wine and going around trying new ones and so I came up with the idea of Celebrate Wine Week.”

“I love beer festivals where they hold a three-day event – like the one at the Ship and Mitre in Port Sunlight – and I thought wouldn’t it be good to do something like that with wine?

“I’m no expert, but I’m an enthusiastic amateur. I love wine.

“Because I didn’t have a large space in which to hold a wine festival, I realised it would be easier – and possibly better – to hold it in different venues across the city over 10 days.

“It means people can enjoy a glass of wine, and bars, pubs, cafes and restaurants get to showcase the wines they offer; and people can go to different parts of the city and different places than they normally do that they may then go back to.

“It’s a chance to enjoy and discover all the great wines and venues this city has to offer.”

Around 15 venues ‘and counting’ are already taking part, and Robert is hoping many more will be involved before February 21.

To join in as a customer, people buy a £12 ticket which gets them a wristband they can collect. They can then go to as many different participating bars and venues as many times as they want within the 10 days of Celebrate Wine Week and get featured glasses of wine for £6 per glass.

Robert, who’s originally from Oxford but fell in love with the city when he was at university and now lives in Tuebrook, says: “If it’s successful I’d love to take Celebrate Wine Week to Manchester and other cities within the North West area.

“But, for now, I’d just to like to welcome people of Liverpool to join in – and enjoy.”