Manchester wine connoisseurs Le Social have revealed plans to open a new wine bar and tasting room in Ancoats, bringing its organic and biodynamic wines into a new permanent sit-down setting for the very first time.
Having found success during lockdown as an at-home wine delivery service, and collaborated on several pop-ups and supper clubs around Manchester, the team is now preparing to throw open the doors to its very own space this weekend, Saturday 29 January.
Here in its new trendy shipping container home, drinkers and diners can expect an ever-changing menu of natural wines, deli boards and continental plates, served on Saturdays between the hours of 2pm and 10pm.
Image: Le Social Wine
Designed for sharing amongst friends, dishes will utilise an array of authentic French, Spanish and Italian produce which, like the wine list, will all be created using responsibly sourced ingredients to help support independent farmers and producers.
You can either select a few plates from a list or create your own bespoke spread, choosing from nibbles including the likes of plump Spanish green olives and salted almonds.
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Elsewhere, you’ll find delights like Catalan sardines, Italian aubergine fillets, roasted artichoke halves, French duck rillettes and black humus, sourced straight from the Basque Country, to enjoy alongside your wine.
Image: Le Social Wine
There’ll also be a range of different cheeses, selected weekly by local suppliers the Butcher’s Quarter, and fresh bread from Ancoats’ community bakery Companio – perfect to mop up all that olive oil from the aubergine and sardines.
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Drinks-wise, the shelves are stacked with a diverse range of unique and quirky wines – all handpicked with excellent taste, individuality and character in mind. Guests are welcome to try any bottle they like for the usual retail price, plus a £5 corkage fee.
Bottles will be rotated regularly, including different options at various styles and price points to make sure Le Social’s incredible wines are accessible to everyone – no matter their budget.
Image: Le Social Wine
Due to the small nature of the space, bookings are mandatory – with tables reserved for two hours at a time.
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As well as opening up for drinkers on Saturdays, Le Social is also launching its new tasting room this week.
Designed for wine tastings, workshops and private functions, a full calendar of events is yet to be announced but will include educational tasting nights, art exhibitions, craft workshops with other Pollard Yard residents and more.
As much a lifestyle brand as a wine connoisseur, social consciousness flows throughout the entirety of Le Social with environmental and social impact factored into every element of the offering.
Beyond a passion for wine, Founder Jérôme’s wider mission is to advocate for a more inclusive and representative wine world by working with independent, sustainable and minority wine producers.
Inside the tasting room / Image: Le Social Wine
His appreciation of community and the environment translates into sourcing and pouring wines which make a positive social impact throughout the supply chain, from the people working in the vineyards to the friends and families who will live a special moment sharing them.
Speaking on the new opening, founder Jérôme Boullier said: “With Le Social I want to create an alternative wine-led space which is centred on experience and inclusivity.
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“The Wine Bar and Tasting Room will serve as cosy destinations where all are welcome to appreciate delicious wine with a purpose and food that will enhance the experience.
Image: Le Social Wine
“The intimate nature of the bar means customers will gain knowledge as well as try out something new and exciting and meet new people in doing so!
“Wine has always been part of my everyday life, as a child I was often sent to the wine cellar in my grandparents’ house to find a specific bottle for the occasion.
“Family rituals were always accompanied by wines appropriately matched, and I was invited to try from a pretty young age!
“I’m so happy that I now have the opportunity to pursue my passion in a meaningful way. I’m very excited to show the space off.”
Le Social Wine Bar will be open every Saturday from 29 January 2022 onwards. Reservations can be made directly through Le Social’s website here and bookings for the tasting room can also be found on the website.
Big Night of Musicals is back in Manchester next month and there’s thousands of FREE tickets
Emily Sergeant
Thousands of free tickets are set to be released tomorrow as the National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals returns.
Now in its fifth year, and having gone on to become one of the world’s biggest annual theatrical events in the process, Big Night of Musicals will once again illuminate Manchester’s AO Arena this winter, hoping to deliver its most ambitious celebration of British theatre to date.
Hosted by Manchester comedian and musical theatre star Jason Manford, the event will bring together lots of the UK’s biggest and most beloved musicals for one extraordinary night.
Audiences can expect mesmerising performances from some of the biggest musicals across the UK, alongside performances from a range of incredible National Lottery-funded arts organisations, all under one roof.
✨🎭 A spellbinding night awaits!
The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals is returning to the @AOArena on 26 Jan 2026, ready to cast its biggest theatrical enchantment yet!
This year’s brilliant lineup of West End and UK-touring shows include the spectacular new production of Miss Saigon, an exclusive performance from Jesus Christ Superstar with Sam Ryder, ahead of him making his West End debut in the role of Jesus, and the legendary musical comedy, Mel Brooks’ The Producers.
Also featuring is the extraordinary London production of Wicked ahead of its 20th anniversary in the West End later in 2026.
Many more productions are still to be announced, so keep your eyes peeled.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be hosting Big Night of Musicals by The National Lottery for the fifth-year running,” commented Jason Manford. “The 2026 lineup is phenomenal, some of the biggest shows in the world are coming together for one night only, and I can’t wait for audiences to experience it.
Big Night of Musicals is back in Manchester next month / Credit: Supplied
“This event is also a huge thank you to National Lottery players whose support keeps theatre alive and accessible. Without their contributions, so many productions, training programmes and venue restorations simply wouldn’t be possible.”
As always, 12,000 free tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis as a special ‘thank you’ to National Lottery players.
Each player can reserve up to four tickets (a £2 booking fee applies per ticket) when they go on general release tomorrow afternoon (9 December) at 1pm, and proof of purchase of a National Lottery product is required to secure the tickets.
There’ll also be a ‘pre-sale’ from 9am to midday tomorrow too.
Big Night of Musicals 2026 is coming to AO Arena on Monday 26 January 2026.
For more information and to register for free tickets, National Lottery players should visit bignightofmusicals.com
Featured Image – Supplied
Manchester
Inside Portfolio, the UK’s first ‘champagne boutique’ and bar in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
A brand-new ‘champagne boutique’ is opening in Manchester this week, boasting more than 250 different champagnes to our city.
Portfolio will be a new bar and ‘immersive wine experience’, which will have one of the largest and most diverse champagne collections in the UK.
Mancs will be able to order champagne by the glass from just £12.50, along with plenty of accessible bottles.
To kick things off, Portfolio will open with a bar food offering that includes Welsh charcuterie, British cheeses and accoutrements, created by co-founder Julian Pizer, formerly of Another Hand and the Edinburgh Castle.
But later down the line, there’ll be a fun, relaxed tasting menu, ranging from a few bites to a full dining experience, obviously paired with the best champagne list in the country.
Inside Portfolio, you’ll be greeted by a striking champagne wall of 100 different bottles, plus a wall of photos from the team’s trips to Champagne in France.
Every drink will be served in exclusive Lehmann glassware imported from Reims, with more than 10 different glass styles and a strict no flutes policy.
There’ll be an open chef’s pass and sommelier station with bar seating, plus a working champagne cellar that will function as a private dining room and event space.
Portfolio champagne boutique opens in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Julian Pizer has created Portfolio with Cameron Foster, founder of Duex Six which specialises in providing exclusive grower champagnes to the UK.
They’ll be joined by Wayne Baxendale as food and beverage director, who has more than 30 years of global wine experience including from Michelin starred restaurants, and Nikolai Kuklenko as general manager, who previously held a role as Head Sommelier at Mana.
Portfolio will be a wine boutique packed with rare grower bottles and vintage prestige cuvées and hopes to ‘strip away the snobbery and make champagne accessible’.
As well as well known names, guests will be able to enjoy rare and highly sought-after cuvées, including Jacques Selosse, Ulysse Collin, Jérôme Prévost, Cédric Bouchard, Larmandier Bernier and Egly Ouriet.
There will also be vintage prestige cuvées from Cristal, Philipponnat, Pommery, Jacquesson, Pierre Peters and Bollinger, some dating back to the 1990s.
As Cameron Foster explains: “We want to strip back the snobbery of Champagne and make it a wine for everyone, whether that’s a quick glass after work, a special celebration, or discovering grower champagne for the first time.”
Portfolio will open on 9 December at 67 Bridge Street, Manchester, with the full restaurant experience launching in February 2026.
Georgina Pellant -
24th January 2022 
