Provence, Spinningfields’ new all-day wine bar and coffee house has revealed its new one-of-a-kind festive tipple, spiced mulled orange wine, guaranteed to be the hottest trend (and drink on the menu) this winter.
The summer go to, has been reimagined and is now served piping hot, with an infusion of classic festive flavours like star anise, clove, cinnamon and orange zest, for £6 per glass.
Accompanying the new tipple is the launch of a brand-new bottomless festive wine brunch priced at £35 per person, available to book from 12pm – 3pm every Saturday throughout December and January.
With 90 minutes of unlimited wine (bonus: there’s a selection of up to eight wines to choose from), prosecco, beer and orange mulled wine, in addition to sharing charcuterie boards complete with a variety of cheese, meats and vegetarian options – as well as mince pies from local artisan bakery, The Flat Baker.
Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
If you fancy singing whilst sipping, the new wine bar, which launched with a fun approach to wine, is also offering private festive bottomless ‘wine-oke’ experiences for 6 to 11 people in the bar’s secret downstairs space, ‘The Cellar’, with the unlimited bottomless drinks offering and grazing boards for 90 minutes and you guessed it – karaoke for £35 per person.
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And for those who fancy a night in, from Wednesday 14 December, Provence, is launching ‘wine on wheels’ via Deliveroo, where you can select from 80 bottled wines and ‘store items’ including cocktails, beers, olives, crisps, chocolate and Northern Cure charcuterie, as well as festive wine hampers delivered straight to your door.
Equally, if Christmas gifting is on your mind, ‘top-up’ cards for Provence’s in-house ‘wine jukebox’ are available to purchase in-store, where you can gift loved ones the opportunity to sample eight rotational premium wines by the glass (normally available only by the bottle), in addition to digital vouchers which can be purchased online to spend on all Provence experiences.
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Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
Anthony Ellis, founder of Provence said:“We have a slightly different approach to wine at Provence, we like to bring fun to what we do, through our no-nonsense style.
“Which is why we’ve created our one-of-a-kind orange mulled wine and taken a festive fun approach to reinvent Christmas classics.
“Our wine-oke experience which launch in October, has been extremely popular, and what’s not to love than wine and karaoke with good friends this Christmas.”
Manchester’s big wheel is returning to Exchange Square for the summer… sort of
Emily Sergeant
Manchester is set to reach new heights, as the big wheel that once stood proudly in the city centre is making a comeback this summer.
Well… sort of.
That’s because it’s not quite the same big wheel that many will remember from its glory days in locations like Piccadilly Gardens and Exchange Square throughout the 2000s, and more recently Albert Square during last year’s Manchester Christmas Markets – but it is a big wheel and it’s a big wheel that you’ll be able to hop on for a ride.
Celebrating the launch of its new Cloud Frappuccino blended drinks range, Starbucks’ Summer in the Clouds arrives in Exchange Square next Friday and Saturday (24 and 25 July), inviting people to escape the hustle and bustle and enjoy panoramic views of the city below from a big Ferris wheel.
The two-day takeover will give customers the chance to unlock a ride on the big wheel with the purchase of any Grande or Venti iced drink from participating Manchester city centre Starbucks stores.
Both in participating stores – which in Manchester are Starbucks stores in the Arndale, City Tower Offices, on Market Street and on Fennel Street – and at the Ferris wheel itself in Exchange Square, you can expect complimentary Cloud Frappuccino-inspired candy floss, live music from DJ and presenter Ethan Porte, and a free photobooth with digital and printed photos.
Alongside the big wheel ride, there’ll also be the chance for members to win exclusive Starbucks merchandise across the two days too.
A limited number of additional ferris wheel ride tokens will also be available to win via the fairground-style Plinko game on site.
The new Starbucks Cloud Frappuccino blended drinks range includes a range of bespoke creations like the Strawberry Matcha Cloud Frappuccino, the Brown Sugar Cloud Frappuccino, and the Caramel Mocha Cloud Frappuccino.
With skyline views and summer sips, Starbucks says its Summer in the Clouds is set to be one of Manchester’s must-visit experiences this month.
Starbucks’ Summer in the Clouds arrives in Exchange Square next Friday 24 and Saturday 25 July.
Featured Image – Cédric Dhaenens (via Unsplash)
Manchester
Road to Victory is all set to turn Manchester’s Castlefield Bowl into the latest World Cup fan zone
Danny Jones
Manchester’s smash-hit Road to Victory is hoping to bring its first-ever open-air World Cup fan zone to the city, as the event is set to take over Castlefield Bowl – on one condition.
It’s just the simple matter of if/when* we make it through.
The famous amphitheatre might be in the middle of their 2026 edition of the annual Sounds of the City festival, but given that England have advanced to the quarter-finals of the 2026 tournament, they’ve naturally decided to make some changes.
It might not be in time for this next game against Norway, but should we make it past the Scandinavian side, Castlefield Bowl will be welcoming roughly 9,000 fans for the semis and (touch wood) the final.
Announced this week, the Road to Victory (RtV) team – backed by production company and promoters AIX Live, who specialise in multi-sensory, immersive fan experiences – is pledging to move into their latest Manc venue for the upcoming fixture at the very least.
Having started over at Depot Mayfield before moving to the likes of Diecast and most recently AO Arena, they’re planning to make the most of the ongoing heatwave by securing the beloved Bowl.
With the Manchester Storm ice hockey team returning to the Arena, they’ve had to vacate ahead of preparations, but it could mean that we’re now looking at one of the biggest outdoor supporter parks in the country, let alone the North West.
Once again, we’ve already had The K’s, Wet Leg and Johnny Marr play the multi-date music series this year, and there are more concerts booked, but some understandable exceptions are now being made.
Obviously, how many Road to Victory dates we get here all depends on whether or not Thomas Tuchel’s side make it past Haaland and co., but it’s sure to be a memorable night nonetheless.
Should the boys make it to the semi-final, tickets for the supporter park right after the match and, unsurprisingly, the demand is expected to be huge. For context, more than 40,000 joined the party for the 2022 World Cup, and the previous Euros final in 2024 sold out the AO Arena. Wow.
With that in mind, we’d say be quick on the draw and get down early with doors from 5pm, as the Road to Victory pre-show will kick things off pronto, alongside live DJs, entertainment and bars – all of which promise to deliver an unparalleled festival-like matchday atmosphere.
You can get ready to register your interest and grab yours as soon as they go on sale right HERE; in the meantime, if you’re still wondering where the best places to watch England vs Norway in Manchester are, look no further:
Georgina Pellant -
12th December 2022 
