RiNSE Natural Wine: Inside Leeds’ latest indie bar from the duo behind Bottle Chop and Fika North

Gemma and Elis Williams are well-known in the city's hospitality scene. The married couple, consisting of a former designer and an art teacher, first teamed up to launch Fika North, a Swedish-inspired cafe. They later expanded their endeavours with Bottle Chop, a natural wine bar, shop, and deli just a few yards from the cafe.

In May, they opened their third venture, RiNSE Natural Wine, located on Call Lane in the city centre. Similar in concept to Bottle Chop, the new bar is named after the former tenant, Blue Rinse, a vintage shop that occupied the venue for decades before relocating across the street.

"Initially, we probably were going to call it Bottle Chop, but it didn't really sit quite right with us to create a chain because our heart is independent," Gemma told the Yorkshire Evening Post. "Everything just comes from me and Elis - we've created the whole thing."

"We went looking for a new name, and then really, the heritage of this building to us as it was when it was Blue Rinse for 30 years. RiNSE sounds fresh, it sounds clean, which is everything that natural wine is."

The concept is simple and familiar to Bottle Chop regulars: a stylish bar offering a variety of exclusive natural wines imported from around the world. Customers can enjoy these wines on tap, in bottles, or take them home.

Natural wine, Gemma said, is wine produced the way it was made before increased demand gave way to mass production with a focus on low intervention and sustainability: "It is essentially wine made in the most traditional method."

There are a few noticeable differences between the two locations. At Bottle Chop, the shop and deli occupy a separate room, but at RiNSE, they have taken a step back due to space constraints, allowing the focus to shift more toward the bar experience.

The Call Lane location currently lacks outdoor seating and windows that open - two features that Gemma and Elis hope to add in the near future.

However, the central location benefits from increased footfall, attracting more unplanned walk-ins compared to their suburban counterparts. Visitors to RiNSE can expect a blend of familiar and new experiences, as the bar frequently collaborates with breweries to offer new and limited beers and wines.

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The setting retains the signature elements of the Far Headingley bottle shop, including its recognisable signage, wooden decor, and pink taps.

Familiarity and independence are central to the Williams approach: "We try to build a family-like atmosphere: all of our teammembers hang out with eachother and we have a nice time together.

"We believe that people are genuinely passionate about our business. People draw our shops and people buy the prints of the drawings of our shops.

"And it just kind of shows, doesn't it? They want to have a picture on their lounge wall of one of our shops."