A blush pink billboard dispensing free wine has appeared in Manchester’s St Ann’s Square today, and it is causing quite a stir amongst shoppers.
Set up by budget supermarket chain Aldi to celebrate the start of the rosé drinking season, according to the team the jazzy wine-dispensing billboard is something of a ‘world’s first’ – designed to dispense rosé only when the weather hits the perfect temperature (19.2C, apparently).
According to research from Aldi sales, the north west is the biggest rosé-loving region in the UK. In response, the team decided to celebrate the arrival of the perfect rosé weather by launching the billboard – which will dispense the summer tipple when the weather hits the perfect temperature.
With the North West identified by Aldi sales data as the UK’s biggest rosé-loving region, the supermarket set up the billboard in the centre of Manchester ahead of National Rosé Day (10 June).
After researching over 1,000 rosé drinkers, the taps poured out free glasses as temperatures hit the ideal 19.2C at around 1pm in St Ann’s Square.
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Two-thirds of those surveyed describe rosé as the ‘perfect summer drink’, while almost half think it’s best enjoyed in shorts and t-shirts – and a quarter start drinking it as soon as the winter coat comes off.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
But ice is a divisive topic, with the country split in half when it comes to cooling their rosé; 55% think it’s acceptable when the weather is hot, while 45% claim they would ‘never’ dilute their drink.
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Julie Ashfield, Managing Director of Buying at Aldi UK, said: “Everyone’s heard the saying ‘it’s wine o’clock’ but we wanted to find out when it’s ‘rosé degrees’ – and according to the nation of rosé lovers, the ideal temperature is 19.2C.
“Setting up the world’s first billboard to dispense rosé at a certain warm temperature was a challenge in Manchester, which is noted for rain.
“But as the centre of the region which loves rosé more than any other in the UK, fortunately, everything came up rosé.”
Research by the supermarket also found that rosé lovers enjoy an average of 63 glasses throughout summer, spending £11.34 a bottle, with the preference being a glass of Provence at 5.18pm.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: Supplied
But despite a liking for Southern French vino, shoppers are decidedly more British when it comes to pairings, with over a third (34%) claiming crisps are the ultimate accompaniment to rosé.
Unexpected answers also include a roast dinner (16%), cake (13%), curry (10%), ice cream (6%) and doughnuts (6%) – rising to 11% of 25–34-year-old rosé drinkers.
And one in three rosé drinking Brits claim to have tried last year’s ‘spicy rosé’ TikTok trend in which sliced jalapeños are added to a glass of pink – rising to over half of millennials, with 15% claiming to add one to every glass.
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The activity comes as Aldi is fast becoming a destination for rosé wine. Last year, the supermarket saw a 134% uplift in spring/summer sales year on year – with the most successful day coinciding with the August heatwave.
Sam Caporn, Mistress of Wine, added: “Rosé is the ideal summer drink; it really does add a sense of summer fun and al fresco vibes to any occasion with friends and family.
“When it comes to ‘whether’ to put ice in the glass or not, I’d advise rosé fans to be led by personal preference – which as ever – is all that really matters. Don’t worry too much about dilution as with rosé it’s all about refreshment and I love it being served super chilled.
“So let’s raise a glass to the nation’s favourite vino for summer sipping, a drop of pink!”
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Aldi’s Rosé Billboard will dispense free rosé when the weather hits 19.2C (approx. 1pm) until 7pm in St Ann’s Square, Manchester on Thursday 8th and Friday 9th June.
Featured image – The Manc Eats
Eats
Inside Kouba, Deansgate Square’s stunning new Lebanese restaurant and shisha bar
Daisy Jackson
A stunning new Lebanese restaurant and shisha bar has opened at the foot of the Deansgate Square towers, with an iced latte tap, shisha bar, and all-day dining.
Kouba has taken over the former Salvi’s site in the glamorous neighbourhood, and just days after opening, it’s packed to the rafters.
The space has been transformed from family-style Italian restaurant into a Middle Eastern oasis.
Kouba operates as a three-in-one concept, doing coffees and brunches in the daytimes before transforming to a lively Lebanese restaurant by night.
It also has a sizeable terrace (blissfully weather-proof) which doubles up as a late-night shisha lounge, open into the early hours.
This newcomer to the city has already found fame online with moments like an indulgent iced salted brown butter oat latte, served from a tap (plus the whole menu of other iced drinks).
There’s also a sharing cheesecake for two that’s built before your eyes, and hot cookies with soft serve, alongside pastries from the award-winning La Chouquette bakery.
Brunch menu dishes will include signatures like the ‘Pocket Toast’, with fillings including smash burger, bacon and egg, and avocado and egg, alongside smoothies, juices and matchas.
As for the restaurant menu, there’ll be a full Lebanese food offering that includes hot and cold mezze, and Lebanese favourites like meshwi, lamb chops, and moussaka.
Click or swipe through the gallery below to see inside
Inside Kouba at Deansgate SquareThe iced latte tapThe private dining roomThe shisha loungeA full spread of foodThe coffee shop section of KoubaIced matcha and pastries from La ChouquetteDinner at KoubaCookies and soft serve
Kouba is now open and will be operational seven days a week from 8am-2am.
The new and improved Station Hotel is looking to become the undisputed home of sport in Alty
Danny Jones
The Station Hotel is no new name on the lips of Altrincham natives or those in and around Greater Manchester; chances are, plenty of you have either been or at least seen the late 19th-century pub after getting off the tram around the corner, but it’s been reborn following major renovations.
Not satisfied with a simple lick of paint or a new menu, Alty’s beloved Station looks, by and large, totally brand new, from the bar itself and every single piece of tiled floor to the brand new sports space.
There’s not only a shiny new glow coming from the soft-lit remodel; there’s now an added sense of warmth to The Station, and they’re looking to extend that welcoming feel not just to locals but the wider sporting community as well.
Having already been a go-to pre- and post-match pint spot for Manchester Storm and Alty FC, both of whom are seeing a huge surge in popularity of late, the team are looking to capitalise on those crowds and go one further.
As for catering to that audience, there’s no better example than the dedicated sports room, where, besides several of a dozen total screens, there are two fresh and premium standard pool tables, as well as one of the best examples of pub sports we’ve come across, maybe ever.
If you’re wondering what we’re on about, they’ve got actual interactive darts that don’t just give you some nice visuals, but that can be played head-to-head, against bots (yes, you can set the computer difficulty) and even online.
How does that work? Well, thanks to a built-in function on the display, you can literally face off against another player somewhere else in real-time.
So, say you happen to be throwing a few arrows in The Station comes the weekend, another punter happens to be at the oche in another Blind Tiger Inns venue – The Grosvenor over on Oxford Road in Manchester city centre, for instance – you can challenge them to a number of different games digitally.
Very cool.
Better still, the darts and the pool are completely free to use Monday to Friday right up until 7pm, and a mere £1.50 at the weekend. No wonder they had a busy opening night.
And then there’s all the deals on drinks: two for £12 on spritzes, £14 bottles of prosecco throughout the week until that same cut-off time, as well as £4 beers and large glasses of wine for as little as £6.
Be rude not to for those prices…
We especially love how the section of the pub where the old pool table and single darts board used to live is no longer the cold, almost cut-off section of the pub that used to be – it’s now one of the cosiest and most colourful parts, with a 360-padded seat, bright new mural, and one that opens out onto
Arguably the best bit, though, is one we’ll have to wait to see in its full glory just yet: the transformed patio area, with wall-to-wall bi-folding doors that will no doubt prove perfect for the summer and for when the World Cup rolls around.
Blind Tiger have, rather fittingly, played an absolute blinder with this one, and we expect the place to start a whole new chapter and fresh new reputation.
See you for a few scoops before a Storm game soon!
Georgina Pellant -
8th June 2023 
