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.
Fans are preparing to pay tribute to Mani from The Stone Roses ahead of his funeral service
Danny Jones
Stone Roses fans and Greater Manchester locals alike are getting ready to pay their respects to the late, great, Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, following his tragic passing last month.
As well as details surrounding his funeral being announced earlier this week, the iconic Manc musician’s cause of death has also finally been revealed.
While Hatton’s service featured a high-profile cortège which started all the way from his hometown of Hyde, past multiple landmarks and ending at the Etihad Stadium, those local to Mani’s family home on the edge of Stockport are also being welcomed to help send him off.
It's the funeral of Mani of the Stone Roses on the 22nd. He lived locally. This poster is asking people to line the route of his funeral cortege to "show that he truly was adored". pic.twitter.com/X0DYHl10Hp
He had been struggling with emphysema for some time; he was declared dead at his home in the suburb of Heaton Moor, and is said to have died peacefully in his sleep.
As you can see from the posters put in various places around the area, residents wishing to pay their own tributes to Mani before his private funeral service at Manchester Cathedral are encouraged to line the long street leading down from St Paul’s and Heaton Moor United Church as he heads towards the city.
Departing Parsonage Road from 10am on Monday, 22 December, before turning right onto Heaton Moor Rd, then Wellington and eventually on to the Cathedral, you can expect plenty of people to show up.
One of those people will be his former bandmate and another influential guitarist, John Squire, who is one of many famous musical names to have honoured him in their own way over the last few weeks.
Other members of The Stone Roses, as well as Primal Scream (who he joined in 1996), are expected to join the close family and friends at the service itself.
Nevertheless, we have no doubt that plenty will be observing the funeral in their own way.
So, for those of you also looking to honour him, you know what to do; and to quote the poster itself, “together we can show this local legend and his family that he was truly adored.”
Plans to transform Chorlton’s old shopping centre have been green-lit
Danny Jones
Yes, after a prolonged period of uncertainty, the plans put together for redeveloping Chorlton Cross Shopping Centre are now moving forward.
Following an extensive consultation period back in 2023 and planning permission having now been approved by Manchester City Council, the transformation of the long-neglected retail complex has been green-lit, and the project will be moving forward even sooner than you think.
As confirmed earlier this week, Stretford-based construction company PJ Livesey will be working in tandem with the Greater Manchester Pension Fund to deliver the major regeneration, which will see even more living spaces and leisure facilities arrive in the already thriving suburb.
Following an official press release on Thursday, 18 December, we’ve now been given a latest glimpse at what the developers are hoping the new Chorlton Cross district will look like.
Credit: Font Communications (supplied)
Plans for the transformation of both the high street and the old Leisure Centre date back to 2023 and even further when taking into account the Council asking the public for their thoughts on what should happen with the area, but Chorlton Cross, specifically, has been the subject of debate for some time.
The bulk of units in and around the largely forgotten shopping centre are now empty, with just a few hold-outs still clinging on to their space.
Now, following extensive feedback from native Mancs and those who have flooded into the South Manchester town over the past decade, the approved plans have now been revealed.
They include:
A mix of 262 one, two and three-bed apartments, all with access to outdoor space through balconies and gardens
20% affordable homes available through a mix of tenures, with 18.5% of these being available for social rent
Around 3,500 sq metres of public open space, including a fully walkable route through Manchester Rd and outdoor seating areas to encourage people to stop and dwell
A mix of flexible retail spaces, such as a new ‘Makers Yard’ suitable for smaller, start-up businesses
Up to 60 new trees across the site with maximised retention of existing trees
Manc filmmaker, Bernard Leach – who has been making videos about the region since 2007 – shared a longer look at how the vision for this next chapter in Chorlton‘s residential and retail history is currently shaping up earlier this month.
As you can see, some sections of the old Lancashire village and ‘cum-Hardy’ parish could look rather unrecognisable sooner than you think.
Should everything go ahead as scheduled, those involved are hoping to get work underway in the New Year, with the ‘decommissioning’ of all existing buildings, including Graeme House, undergoing demolition by early 2026.
With the majority vacating their premises in recent years, it’s fair to say that it’s been vastly underutilised for far too long.
Posting on social media back in September last year, nearby resident Nigel Woodcock wrote: “Serious question, not just councillor-baiting, but can anyone explain why the retail businesses in Chorlton Precinct were booted out before any decisions were made about what’s going to happen to it?
“It makes no sense to me. No plans have even been submitted, so far as I’m aware, so why kick out those businesses and leave it derelict for so long? The land and buildings are actually owned by the combined GM Local Authorities, so one might expect a modicum of political and business nous to be applied.”
Similar to the new plans being put together for the stretch of land between Castlefield and Salford, most are just glad something is finally happening with the space.
Commenting on the plans progressing, PJ Livesey’s Managing Director, Georgina Lynch, said in an official statement: “This is a landmark moment for Chorlton, marking the transformation of the former shopping centre into a vibrant new hub for the community.
“Working closely with Manchester City Council, we’ve carefully balanced the delivery of much-needed new homes – including 20% affordable – with the creation of lively, welcoming spaces to shop, relax, and spend time.
“This site is at the heart of Chorlton, and we’re bringing it back to life, cementing the area’s reputation as a truly great place to live.”
What do you make of the Chorlton Cross Shopping Centre regeneration plans?
Georgina Pellant -
24th January 2022 
