This week we're sitting down with Katie from Coole Swan to talk exactly that: the most popular cream liqueur on our shelves. Come and listen to hear about where the product comes from, who makes it and what makes it so special!

If you're keen to try some for yourself, you can check it out down below on our website!

All of our links: linktr.ee/vintagewinemerchants

Coole Swan

We're back with another Meet the Team episode from Randalstown!

Jonny heads up operations in our second branch, and he's here to chat through what his experience with the business has been, as well as what you can expect from visiting his neck of the woods.

All of our links: linktr.ee/vintagewinemerchants

Jonny's favourites:

Copeland Rum

Plantation/Planteray

Outwalker Irish Whiskey

Limavady Irish Whiskey

R&J Red

R&J Pinot Grigio

This week, Ethan is being interviewed by Pierce, and will be walking through what brought him to work for the Vintage, as well as his personal history with wine and spirits.

⁠All our links

D'Arenberg

Langmeil

Perdido

Don't be afraid to ask us questions for future episodes; we want to hear your thoughts, ideas, opinions and whatever else might be on your mind!

This week, we're talking to Olivia, another of the fantastic team you might meet if you visit us in person. As always, she'll be walking us through her story, as well as some of her favourite products from our range.

All our links

Green and Social

Cami del Drac

Bumbu Cream

Porta 6

This week, we're sitting down to chat with Pierce, another of the full-time staff members you're likely to run into while in one of our shops.

Pierce talks us through his time with the company, what it's like to visit our in-store events (tickets below!) and what he'd recommend to you if you met him on the floor.

McConnell's

Teeling

Bushmills Causeway Collection

Romeo & Juliet Passimento

Tasting tickets:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠The Vintage Wine Merchants Antrim Events - 1 Upcoming Activities and Tickets | Eventbrite⁠⁠⁠

Everything else:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠The Vintage Wine Merchants | Instagram, Facebook | Linktree⁠

Today we're talking with Joe Howe, long-time team member and all-round drinks enthusiast. We cover his history within the business, as well as within the industry as a whole, and get his input on what it's like to work with whiskey and wine.

Tasting tickets:⁠⁠⁠

⁠The Vintage Wine Merchants Antrim Events - 1 Upcoming Activities and Tickets | Eventbrite⁠⁠

Everything else:⁠⁠⁠

⁠The Vintage Wine Merchants | Instagram, Facebook | Linktree⁠

Today, we're talking New Zealand wine with Brent Marris from Marisco Vineyards. The Ned, Leefield Station, King's and more - there's something here for everyone.

Browse the Marisco range on our website:

The Ned

Leefield Station

King's

Tasting tickets:⁠

The Vintage Wine Merchants Antrim Events - 1 Upcoming Activities and Tickets | Eventbrite⁠

Everything else:⁠

The Vintage Wine Merchants | Instagram, Facebook | Linktree⁠

Marisco Vineyards:Award-Winning Marlborough NZ Wine | Marisco Vineyards – Marisco Family Vineyards

This week, we're talking all things whiskey with Joey Howe, our resident expert in all things malt.

Whether you're a seasoned enjoyer of whiskey or someone simply looking to get started, we can guarantee you'll learn something from what we've put together in this episode.

From choosing the right whiskey, considering type, price and finish, right through to enjoying the product at home, Joe's got you covered.

Any questions? Ask them on socials!

linktr.ee/vintagewinemerchants

Join our events mailing list:

https://shorturl.at/Vy5sn/

McConnell's:vintagewinemerchants.co.uk/Search/?Query=mcconnells

Green Spot:vintagewinemerchants.co.uk/Search/?Query=green+spot

Glenfarclas:vintagewinemerchants.co.uk/Search/?Query=glenfarclas

Today we're talking Symphonia spirits with their founder and owner Ric Dyer. He talks all about the name, history and products of Symphonia, all in advance of our in-store tasting event on March 28th, 2025.

Tasting tickets:The Vintage Wine Merchants Antrim Events - 1 Upcoming Activities and Tickets | Eventbrite

Everything else:The Vintage Wine Merchants | Instagram, Facebook | Linktree

Browse our Symphonia range: https://vintagewinemerchants.co.uk/Search/?Query=symphonia

Symphonia Spirits:

symphoniaspirits.com/

Ever wanted to get into wine appreciation and tasting? Now's your chance! In this episode, Patrick talks through the whole process of tasting wine, from pricing and paying for your bottle, all the way through to savouring the final notes in the glass.

Even if you're confident in your knowledge of wine and all it has to offer, Patrick's 20 years of experience in the drinks industry ought to teach you something, so stick around to see what comes up!

If you'd like to get in touch with questions for future episodes, or to check out our catalogue, click the link below:

linktr.ee/vintagewinemerchants

We're back! We took a break to celebrate 50 years in business and now we're here to tell you all about how it went.

With over 30 suppliers, reps and producers from all across Northern Ireland, our birthday celebrations formed one of the largest events in the history of thew NI drinks industry, and more than 200 people came to join us for the day.

All the staff who planned, staged and ran the event are here to chat through some of their highlights from the day, including a range of the different products which were available to taste.

To browse our products, sign up for event tickets and more, check out linktr.ee/vintagewinemerchants

Product highlights from the day:

Copeland 25.1 (Email Enquiry)

Kinsale Mead

Midleton 2024

Titanic Whiskey

Hotwyre

Halisco

Puklavec

Oh no! No episode this week (or next), but we will be chatting about our upcoming 50th birthday celebrations. If you don't usually watch the video element of the show, check it out this week to see where we'll be hosting all the fun!

Tickets available here: linktr.ee/vintagewinemerchants

This week, we're looking through some of the highlights from Paddy's trip to South Africa, and more specifically at his visit to the Jordan winery.

If you're interested in South African wine, how and where it's made, and what the country is like in general, stick around to learn!

Browse our Jordan range: vintagewinemerchants.co.uk/Search/?Query=jordan

Our links: linktr.ee/vintagewinemerchants

This week, we're back to getting to know the team, this time with someone you'll likely meet in Randalstown.

Joseph, or "Wee Joe" as we like to call him, has been with us for 4 years now, and today he's sitting down to go through some of the lessons he's learned, his favourite drinks, and what it's like to work in wine and spirits!

linktr.ee/vintagewinemerchants

Our first ever episode is here! Come and join us as we sit down with the Vintage Wine Merchants' owner, Patrick Magill, as he retells some of the history of the business from his own point of view.

Got any questions for future episodes? Ask them here:

linktr.ee/vintagewinemerchants

Want to browse our catalogue?

vintagewinemerchants.co.uk

Recently, Ethan & Pierce were given the chance to take part in their WSET Level 1 qualifications, which took place in Direct Wine Shipments in Belfast. If you're interested in what it's like to take on a wine course or what kind of things you can expect to study, then listen along to find out more.

linktr.ee/vintagewinemerchants

Wine list from the course to follow.

Direct Wine Shipments WSET Courses

This week, we're talking business. What is a wine merchant? How do you stay relevant in the industry? What do we do in order to stand out? Patrick's here to tell it all.

linktr.ee/vintagewinemerchants - for tickets, shopping and more.

Welcome back! This week, we're putting together custom recommendation boxes from the staff in Antrim. Everyone's taking time to sit down and walk through what they'd send you if they had one box to fill with recommendations from throughout our range of products.

What are some of your favourites from the shop?

All our important links

Right now, there are no boxes available to order as packages, but the spreadsheet below will act as a product database in the meantime: if you want to order a selection of the products from this episode, click here!

It's maybe a little early for this kind of talk, but for us it's the norm! Come and sit down with Paddy and Ethan and talk all things Christmassy in the drinks trade as we gear up for the busiest season of the year.

Interested in some events, present advice or Christmas recommendations? We've got it all this week, so listen along and don't miss out!

linktr.ee/vintagewinemerchants

Check back for more links coming soon.

Our Brewery (their real name, they don't belong to us!) are a firm favourite among our craft ale selection, with customers throughout our community going crazy over a huge selection of their releases.

Located in Randalstown, not far from our second shop, they're great friends of ours, which is why it's brilliant to finally get time to chat over their range, story and products.

If you're a craft ale drinker who likes a local product with local spirit, then check out Our Brewery's range, which is available to buy down below.

vintagewinemerchants.co.uk/Search/?Query=our+brewery

Buy tickets to the upcoming tasting night:

The Vintage Wine Merchants Antrim Events - 3 Upcoming Activities and Tickets | Eventbrite

Buy Titanic products here.

Titanic Distillers are all about Blood, Sweat and Years. Come and hear about how they're brewing the Spirit of Belfast in their iconic home place down by the Titanic's dry dock in Belfast.

Make sure you follow the show so as not to miss any future episodes, and don't forget to comment your thoughts and questions!

All our links

Chris is back this week to finish off the Boatyard story!

Come and listen to an on-air tasting of all the Boatyard core range, then hear how the brand is seeking to be sustainable, eco-friendly and conscious of its impact on the world in 2025.

⁠Boatyard products for sale⁠

⁠All our links⁠

⁠Follow Boatyard⁠

⁠Book Tours⁠

Today we've got our first ever two-parter!

Come and listen to Chris from Boatyard Distillery talk to us about the brand, business and product range from a company that's sticking to what it knows and does well.

Boatyard products for sale

All our links

Follow Boatyard

Book Tours

This week needs very little explanation: we've got Corey from McConnell's here to chat through everything to do with the now iconic Irish whisky brand. Everything from the historic location of their distillery in Crumlin Road Gaol, through to a striking and delicious cocktail you can make with the core range's wonderful 5 year old whisky.

Buy McConnell's here

All our links: linktr.ee/vintagewinemerchants

Follow Corey

Follow McConnell's

Book a Tour

This week, join Ethan & Joe as they go through what makes an Irish whiskey, some of the history behind the drink and how you should drink it today.

There's also talk of some favourites among the Vintage range, so check out the links below if you're keen to try something new!

All our links: linktr.ee/vintagewinemerchants

McConnells

Bushmills

Powers Irish Rye

Teeling

Garden County

Jameson

Method & Madness

Green Spot

This week, we're going through your favourite wines and spirits from across our range to show you what you're missing. What you already know is good, but what we're showing off today is even better!

Are you always sticking to the same product when buying for parties, dinners and Friday nights in the house? Why not take our word for some of these alternatives, and then let us help you explore the rest of our range!

DOMAINE PEIRIERE GRENACHE ROSE 12.5%

LET IT BEE WHITE VERDEJO 750ML 12%

CANTO DO ARTISTA TINTO DAO DOC 13% 750ML VEGAN FRIENDLY

BOATYARD DOUBLE GIN 700ML 46%

TAKAMAKA DARK SPICED RUM

GREEN SPOT SINGLE POT STILL 700ML 40%

ASBACH COFFEE & CREAM LIQUEUR 700ML 15%

That's right, as much as we hate to admit it, Christmas preparations are upon us. Whether you're looking for a new wine to grace the Christmas dinner table, some quirky after dinner spirits or a unique new tipple for the office Christmas party, we've got you sorted with a range of products you've most likely not noticed before.

Have you ever tried any of these products before? Tell us in the comments!

linktr.ee/vintagewinemerchants

In no particular order, here's a list of purchase links for today's products:

Forrest Pinot Gris

Pure Furmint

Istil

Garden County 5

Chateau La Perriere Minervois

Any Kind of Weather

Atticus

Jameson Triple Triple

Two Stacks Can

Symphonia Dry Gin

Nugan Alfredo

(Apologies for confusing Poland and Lithuania; the beer names can be confusing!)

It takes a lot to make a name for yourself in wine, but it takes even more to become known for making an entire wine region recognisable the world over. This week, we're talking Peter Lehmann, the Barossan himself, and some of his signature wines, with Brett Schutz, a senior winemaker from his vineyards.We've got history, craft, viticulture and art all rolled into one episode this week, so you're really getting spoiled!Have you ever tried wine from the Barossa Valley? Let us know in the comments!Stonewell8 SongsThe BarossanPeter LehmannRead Brett's bio from the Peter Lehmann website:Holding a Bachelor’s degree of Agricultural Science, majoring in Oenology from the University of Adelaide, Brett entered the winemaking industry as a Vintage Winemaker at Kingston Estate in 2005. Brett was fortunate to gain further experience with Dorrien Estate/Cellarmasters before making a move to establish a base and raise his family in the beautiful Clare Valley. During his lecturing in Viticulture and Wine from 2008 to 2010, Brett began a winemaking position at Constellation Wines Australia at the iconic Leasingham Wines, followed by a Vintage Winemaking role at Tamar Ridge Estate and finally, a Winemaker for over 12 years at Tim Adams Wines/Mr Mick. Brett has judged at numerous wine shows, including Clare Wine Show, Hot 100 Wines and Great Australia Red. In addition to his exceptional winemaking experience, Brett’s strengths lie in his ability to lead and manage teams across the winemaking function and connect the viticulture, winemaking, cellar door, sales and marketing teams. In 2022, Brett joined Peter Lehmann Wines as a Senior Winemaker. Brett has considerable expertise and experience promoting brands in the domestic and international market, as well as running staff wine education sessions and tastings for consumers, media and trade. With his passion for brand promotion, growth, sustainability and leadership, Brett is honoured to further Peter Lehmann’s signature winemaking legacy.linktr.ee/vintagewinemerchants

This week, Maria from Bodegas Avelino Vegas is here to talk us through a range of products from Ribera del Duero and Rueda. We have the fabulous Fuentespina range and some beautiful Verdejos to try, all of which you'll be able to sample direct from our website!

What's your favourite wine region of Spain? Comment below with your answer!

Thanks to Stephen from Top Shelf Drinks for arranging the interview.

linktr.ee/vintagewinemerchants

This week's episode is another wine feature, with a special guest coming to us all the way from Aimonsberg-Paarl in South Africa: Johnnie Calitz is here to talk to us about how things are done at Glen Carlou winery.From South Africa identity to the idea of expression in winemaking, there's so much to learn from Johnnie. Glen Carlou:https://vintagewinemerchants.co.uk/Search/?Query=glen+carloulinktr.ee/vintagewinemerchants

This week, we're sitting down to talk through something special, with a feature on Urbina Rioja. Teresa Burridge takes us through what makes a Rioja, how the region is regulated and what you can expect from its wines. We also go through some of the Urbina product line, going all the way back to a fantastic 2024 vintage.

We've also got some bonus wines to look at in the form of the wonderful El Picoteo red and white blends. They're from a totally different region, and Teresa walks us through what makes them perfect for those people who are looking to get into wine!

Urbina:https://vintagewinemerchants.co.uk/Search/?Query=urbina

El Picoteo:https://vintagewinemerchants.co.uk/Search/?Query=el+picoteo

linktr.ee/vintagewinemerchants

It's Bushmills. What more could you ask for?

For real though, what is Bushmills? What are they up to in 2025? Come and listen to everything you could ever want to know about the Old Bushmills Distillery, from why they stick with single malt to what they're planning to release very, very soon.

https://vintagewinemerchants.co.uk/Search/?Query=bushmills

This week, we've got a more experimental episode, giving you a chance to sit in on one of our regular staff tastings. Usually, we'll sit down together once per week to go over a range of new or incoming products in order to familiarise ourselves with them. Today covers a tasting of about 8 bottles, all from different parts of the world. Did you enjoy the format? Let us know and we'll try to make more!

#winetasting #winelover #winelovers #livewinetasting #beginnerwinetastinglinktr.ee/vintagewinemerchants

Nugan Estate Zin

Pacifico Sur Merlot

Rebel Malbec

Rising River Pinotage

Scruffy's Shiraz

Orfila Malbec

Mad Bird Ancelolotta Malbec

Rickety Bridge Pinotage

This week, we've got the fantastic Séamus in to talk all things Echlinville - we've got the Old Comber and Dunville's stories, plus so much more, including sneak peeks of things still to come!

Making use of history and strong heritage is difficult, but Echlinville Distillery have nailed the process, preserving the stories, products and practices of three Northern Irish whiskey legends and doing all the work within a stone's throw from home.

Séamus takes us through the whole story of why the history is so important, how they preserve it, and what they plan to do with it in the future.

Echlinville:https://vintagewinemerchants.co.uk/Search/?Query=echlinville

Dunville's:https://vintagewinemerchants.co.uk/Search/?Query=dunvilles

Old Comber:https://vintagewinemerchants.co.uk/Search/?Query=old+comber

This week, we've got a spicy one. Joe, Paddy and Ethan have gotten hold of a supermarket bottle of Porta 6, one of our bestselling wines. They're going to compare it to the same product from a leading supermarket and see if there really is a defference.

You've heard the rumours and myths before, but now we're putting them to the test. People will tell you that one bottle is better than the other, but why? Now's your chance to find out.

PORTA 6 RED BLEND 75CL 13.5%linktr.ee/vintagewinemerchants

It's a new year! We're back from our podcast break to tell you all about the year to come. There's a lot to talk about, so sit back on your commute or on a long walk to listen to all we have to say on the Cost of Living Crisis, how to save when prices are rising, and what we've got planned for the year ahead!

linktr.ee/vintagewinemerchants