Latitude Wine Leeds: Inside the award-winning business with a different approach to wine

The award-winning independent wine and spirits retailer, founded by Chris Hill almost 15 years ago, has stood firm through the economic crash, the pandemic and now the cost of living crisis - one of the only small wine retailers left in the region.

After years working in the hospitality industry, Chris took over the railway arch on Cherry Tree Walk from Hoults of Huddersfield in 2008, with a vision to create a high-quality wine and liquor specialist.

His wholesale contacts and approach to customer service meant the business quickly flourished, and it’s now become a household name in the Leeds booze industry.

Manager Max Whisker told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “There are a lot of big-business powerhouses in the wine merchant industry that tend to wipe the floor with the little guys. Chris’ ethos to Latitude is very interesting, his background is in hospitality and he hires from within hospitality.

“What we have developed at Latitude, and what’s so special about us, is the conversation we have with our customers and the community we’ve built. We’re incredibly laidback, personal and approachable in wine, which can be daunting.”

Max comes from a hospitality background himself, having worked in Leeds bars including Jake’s and Smokestack, as well as a stint in Dubai. He joined the team in 2017 and is one of just five staff members, who all have an extensive knowledge of Latitude’s range of products.

Max said: “We love pairing food and wine, we’re all big foodies. We try to get people to try something special and unusual outside of the well-known favourites. Quite often, they’ll come back and ask for it again.”

Latitude stocks wine from all over the world, as well high-quality spirits, and all customers can enjoy 10% off once they sign up to Latitude’s mailing list. Its website, launched as an emergency measure during the pandemic, is now a core part of the business and provides a wealth of information about each of the products.

For customers looking to pick up a bottle of something special, there is one grape that is a firm favourite of the Latitude team.

“We all rave about grenache,” Max, 33, said. “It's our favourite grape as a collective. We have grenache from all over the world and we can wax lyrical about it for hours.

“We love wine from Portugal and Chile too, it’s incredible value for money and it’s a bit of an inside secret. Portugal in particular has a lot of indigenous grapes that are bloody delicious.”

Latitude recently scooped Best Independent Spirit Retailer at the Drink Retailing Awards 2023, going up against much larger businesses. It was a welcome boost for Chris and his team, after missing out on awards in the early years of the business - often to London-based retailers.

“It was unbelievable,” Max added. “In all honesty, we didn’t expect to win. We’re a small team and we all work harder than we probably should to get to where we are. For people to appreciate that and see that is a really special thing."