An old beer cellar beneath St Austell Brewery’s successful visitor centre has been converted into a shop – providing a fantastic new 200sq m area dedicated to selling wines, beers, branded gifts and clothing. 

The conversion and new shop has enabled the Brewery’s visitor centre to expand its successful Hicks Bar, which can now cater for 75 diners and is open to the public throughout the day. 

The shop will stock a wide range of wines from around the world, many of which are only available through Walter Hicks Wine Merchants, St Austell Brewery’s wine business. 

The wines are personally selected by the Brewery’s wine buyer Xenia Irwin MW and until now would only be available in certain restaurants, bars and pubs supplied by the business. 

This means they are exclusive to the Brewery, and not available in supermarkets, off licences or high street shops. 

The shop aims to offer the wines at great value, with the majority costing between £5 and £6 a bottle. In addition there will be discounts for buying six or more bottles, plus special promotions and bin end offers. 

The initial range includes around 70 wines to meet the needs of most occasions and tastes – covering old world, new world, red, white, rose and fizz. 

Examples include Laroma pinot grigio, blended and bottled near Venice solely for St Austell Brewery at £5.77 a bottle; Richmond Ridge Australian cabernet sauvignon at £5.66 a bottle and Puente del Inca Chilean merlot, also exclusively made for the Brewery, at £4.91 a bottle. 

Jeremy Mitchell, Marketing and Communications Director at St Austell Brewery, said: “New shops are now springing up all over St Austell and by opening the new Brewery shop we are delighted to offer a good quality wine store and off licence to serve local residents and visitors. 

“St Austell Brewery’s founder Walter Hicks was originally a wine merchant and wine plays an important role in the company’s business. We are delighted the new Brewery shop will enable customers to buy a selection of great quality wines not available anywhere else.” 

The shop will be open six days a week from 10am to 5.30pm (closed Sundays), and will be open seven days a week in the summer. 

The Hicks Bar offers fresh ground coffees and cream teas throughout the day, with home-cooked food from midday to 3pm. The menu features kids’ favourites and a daily special. 

It also serves St Austell Brewery cask ales, bottled beers, lagers, cider, wines, spirits and soft drinks. 

The Hicks Bar and museum can be hired for private functions and holds regular events including jazz evenings and dance classes.