AN INDEPENDENT wine shop in Salisbury has been named as the best in the whole of Wiltshire. 

Artisan Wine & Spirit Co has been recognised by the prestigious Muddy Stiletto awards in the ‘Best Wine and Beer Specialists’ category.

Co-owners Elizabeth Coombes and Simon Hill said in April after they were nominated that "if we can win this then we’ll be a very happy Salisbury independent indeed!". 

Sponsored locally by Black Nova Designs and nationally by Tide banking, readers of the award-winning lifestyle website Muddy Stilettos have been nominating and voting in their hundreds of thousands for their favourite independent businesses across 21 different lifestyle categories – from Best Destination Pub to Yoga/Pilates Studio, Boutique Stay to Local Food/Drink producer.

Reaching more than 10 million people nationally in eight weeks, more than 515,000 votes and nominations were cast nationwide, making it the most popular Muddy Awards to date.

The independent wine shop on Winchester Street opened in lockdown in the beginning of May 2021. 

Salisbury Journal: L-R: Thom Fowler, Elizabeth Coombes and Simon Hill

Elizabeth Coombes and Simon Hill told the Journal they [feel] “amazing, delighted and chuffed to bits” with the outcome and “just huge thanks to all our customers that support us every day, day in and day out”. 

The intimate shop sells a range of wines, spirits and hosts cocktail academies as well as wine tastings. 

Simon added: “We care, we pick out the best wines for the money, we taste everything ourselves, we only pick wines that we would buy and drink ourselves, we’ve been in the business for about 50 years between us” [and] “we look for interest in new things, we always want to be ahead of the curve". 

After they were nominated last month, they said: "This is our home city, we love it and to know that other people appreciate our little business is the best feeling.”

All regional winners in Wiltshire, along with winners from the other Muddy counties, will automatically go through to the 2024 National Awards and five businesses in each category will be picked by the Muddy Stilettos Editors to go through to the National Finals, with the ‘Best of the Best’ Winners crowned in July 2024.  

The full list of Muddy Awards 2024 Winners across all 28 counties nationally is available at muddystilettos.co.uk/awards/counties.