KERB wine bar, Manchester | Wine bar review

KERB is a natural wine bar and bottle shop set in the heart of Ancoats, Manchester. Outside, KERB has a couple of seats for enjoying a nice little glass of something on a sunny day. However, as anyone who has stepped foot in Manchester will know, the city is much more well-known for its often wet and gloomy weather. So, it’s the interior of KERB that you really want to know about. Inside, KERB’s curved walls are painted in a subtle peach/pink colour and covered in bottles upon bottles of great natural wines. In the centre, you’ll find a curved and minimal bar area ideal for tasting nights. Then, in the window, you’ll find a couple of blush pink tables – ideal for watching the world go by. It’s a great little spot, that I imagine really comes to life in dimly-lit winter evenings.

Ah, the million-pound question. KERB has an impressive list of natural wines from loads of great independent wineries but one in particular took my fancy: Ancre Hill Red, Pet Nat.

Ancre Hill Estates is a Monmouthshire-based winery made up of two vineyards totalling 30,000 (ish) vines. The Welsh winery uses state-of-the-art methods, and takes a holistic to its wine-making, whilst incorporating biodynamic methods, too. For those of you who are interested, In wine, biodynamic means you farm grapes without the use of synthetic pesticides or fertilisers.

I’m completely new to the world of sparkling reds but man was this a great introduction to it. The Ancre Hill Red is a Pet Nat (naturally bubbling) wine packed with flavours of sour cherry and sweet strawberry. There’s almost a slight herbal quality to it on the nose as well, balancing it all out. Made using 100% Triomphe grape (a black grape variety often grown in the UK – completely new to me!) the Ancre Hill Red wine sits at a light 9.5% ABV, making it an ideal afternoon sipper. I enjoyed it on a gloriously sunny day. It’s an NV wine (non-vintage) meaning that the grapes used for the wine were from more than one year which results in a more complex and deep wine. As an introduction to sparkling reds, I couldn’t have asked for much more. Get this on your list and check it out the next time you find yourself in Manchester.