Callum Hewitt and Leah Horabin are just days away from opening their first bar together in Liverpool city centre, after customers repeatedly asked where they could buy the couple's wines. The Grape Pairing, known for pop-up wine tasting events, will have a permanent home on Lydia Ann Street, beside Duke Street.
From Pop-Ups to Permanent Venue
The couple, from Widnes, have run The Grape Pairing for two years, hosting collaborations at venues like Flour Will Fly on Water Street. After onboarding a fourth vineyard partner and seeing strong event attendance, they decided to take the leap. Callum, 24, a University of Liverpool graduate, told the Liverpool Echo: "We'd just onboarded our fourth vineyard partner, our events were doing really well, and one of the questions we were constantly asked was, 'Where can we buy your wines?' or 'Where can we have a glass?'"
He explained that specialist wines are often more expensive than those from traditional wholesalers, making it harder to get them onto restaurant wine lists. "By having our own venue, we can serve them by the glass at much better value because we're cutting out the middleman," he said.
Focus on Indigenous Italian Grapes
The Grape Pairing prides itself on spotlighting Italian wines by working directly with vineyards that have never had UK representation or want to re-enter the UK market. Callum said: "It all started with us importing lots of different bottles and working out what style of wines we wanted to focus on. One thing we've always stayed true to is only choosing grapes that are indigenous to Italy. We don't tend to stock internationally common varieties like Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc."
He added: "We focus on local grape varieties that are unique to the regions where they're grown. We wanted to do something a little different and quite niche because we only sell Italian wine. We currently work with four vineyard partners and we're the only people in the UK importing their wines. Because we have that direct relationship, we're able to bring the winemakers over for events too."
Opening Events and Future Plans
The couple will host a winemaker's dinner on Friday, July 10, with partner Cornarea Vini from Piedmont, followed by a launch party on Saturday, July 11, before opening fully to the public on Sunday, July 12. The bar will seat around 25 guests and transform throughout the day, offering coffee and wine by day, and a wine bar with Venetian-style cicchetti in the evening.
Callum said the concept takes inspiration from Venetian wine bars, where guests enjoy an aperitivo with small plates of cured meats, cheeses, and cicchetti alongside wines. He noted the response has been amazing, and building the business with Leah has been special. "Leah's mum, who owns a café in Widnes, has helped us with everything from food hygiene to the set-up. It's definitely been a family effort," he said. "It's getting very real now. Most of the fit-out is complete, so now it's about making sure the food is perfect, taking photos and getting ready. We're all really excited."
