About Us

Lancaster Wine Company is a personally run local independent business run by Barry & Fiona Howarth & rescue ‘Wine shop dog Rory assisting!

Opening late June 2013, and winning ‘Newcomer of the Year’  just 8 months later in the ‘Drinks Retailing Awards’, held at the Dorchester Hotel in London was a wonderful surprise and honour.  This set us on our way to provide Lancaster and our local community with an affordable, interesting, down to earth, personally run Wine & Drinks merchant, for all tastes & budgets.  In February 2019, we won the ‘People’s Choice Wine Awards’ – Best Independent Wine Merchant’.  This meant so much to us, as it was all down to our amazing customers voting for us.

Using over 25 years of experience in the retail & wholesale drinks trade, Barry loves to hand pick his ever changing and evolving range of wines, beers & spirits.  Pre-pandemic holding regular shop evening tastings on many varied topics, plus many outside events, enables him to engage with his valued & loyal customers, new and longstanding.  Hoping these will return in 2022.

In the last few years,  leading 2  & with a 3rd planned for September 2020 (sadly having to be cancelled until 2022) – customers trips to Willi Opitz our friend and Winemaker’s hotel & winery in Illmitz, Austria.  As a result of these trips, Willi and his wife Maria visited Lancaster in November 2019 to host an amazing Dinner accompanying, his wines at Lancaster Town Hall, supported by David Dunderdale and his team at Newfield Catering. What a wonderful evening was had by all.  Willi & Maria loved Lancaster and are returning again in 2020.  Sadly having to be cancelled for 2020 and 2022.  He will return, in the future  when times allow.