WINYL: Red, Red Vinyl

WINYL is a new fruity and fun approach to both wine and record shopping, yes you heard us right! 

At WINYL, you can both browse and purchase some amazing vinyl records alongside delicious vegan and sustainable wine.

As if this wasn’t enough, they also stock a wide range of beer and organic French GIN, which is exclusive to WINYL (ohhh la, la!), that you can sample while you browse the store. 

The small but ‘organic’ space is filled with records that are mostly brand new pressings, new releases, and classics, with a small section for pre-owned or, as the team at WINYL call it, vintage vinyl.

If you’re looking for a unique day out this summer, why not check out their Record Store Day? This year’s event pops the cork on the 12th June and 17th July, with hopes of being able to have some live performances during the event, Covid-guidelines pending. They also plan to bring back their ‘singles club’, live wine tasting, songwriting circle, and even more events this summer for all of us to enjoy. 

The team at WINYL are dedicated to being a ‘Plastic-Free Champion’, meaning that all their bottles and cans are recycled, their bags are made of sugar-cane, they have a cork recycling section, and even have a zero-waste range, where bottles can be refilled- saving the planet one bottle of wine and spin of a record at a time! 

WINYL hasn’t let the pandemic stop them from doing what they love, going on the road and virtual instead.

Steve, owner and director of WINYL, told us: “We had to up our game online and get the website updated and transactional, then bought a van to do free local delivery. We also started online wine tasting with some new wines, working with suppliers to host these or did it ourselves.”

Now the team, Steve and his partner Whilmari, are ready to get back into action in the shop, with a new hand wash station outside and a protective till screen. They promise that any bottles touched and not sold will be wiped down with alcohol wipes, and promise to clean surfaces, fridges, and handles at the start of the day, all while following social distancing guidelines. 

For now, Steve has no worries about people returning to their store, believing that ‘crate diggers and vinyl addicts’ will come back to see what’s new.

Steve explained: “We’ve always felt online vinyl shopping is rather soulless and there is nothing better than getting stuck into the racks…well maybe with a nice drink in your hand.

“The vinyl revolution has no signs of slowing down, and I can’t see anyone turning away from wine any time soon either. More people are turning to a vegan diet and our offer is still fairly unusual in the U.K and once we open back up I’m sure to return to the heady days of music, drinking live events and fun.”

We’ve all been through a rough time financially this past year but fear not, WINYL has our backs, offering pre-orders and special orders with no deposit and have price promise to match any other retailer brick and mortar or online

Steve told us, “Our drinks are simply brilliant and we hear many times how we have spoiled people and they can’t drink “normal” wine.  We aren’t experts, our ethos is to learn by drinking, sharing those experiences and we love good wine that doesn’t give you a hangover.”

To check out WINYL for yourself, simply browse their online store at www.winyl.co.uk and head down to the store itself at 16 South St, Manningtree to get your own unique vegan wine and some amazingly well-kept vinyl! To keep up-to-date with everything Steve and his team get up to, be sure to give them a follow on Facebook @WinylLtd and on Instagram @winylshop