Wine tasting bar and school to open in Bournemouth on Valentine's Day

The owners of Sobo:Fish, in Seabourne Road, Southbourne, are to open a brand new wine bar next door in the former lampshade shop. 

A soft opening for Sobo:Sommelier will take place on February 14, Valentine’s Day, which is fully booked, and owners Matt Betteridge and Mauro Guasti plan to turn the business into so much more than your average wine bar. 

Matt said: “This is initially a wine bar, serving small plates and tapas, meat, fish and vegetarian dishes. Nothing will compete with SOBO:Fish next door – it's completely different.  

Sobo:Sommelier, in Seabourne Road (Image: Daily Echo)

“Mauro will be doing wine tasting every Tuesday from March, and hopefully we will also do a wine school, with qualifications. 

“We will be having lots of local companies supplying us, including cheese companies and charcuterie companies.” 

Not a stranger to the local community, Matt said he has received “amazing” support from a variety of people who have helped get the business open in time. 

Read more: Historic La Lupa Italian restaurant in Poole gets new owners

He added: “We’ve had so many people come in, look around and ask us if there’s anything we need.  

“We’ve had people give us the bamboo outside, people bringing us food from the flats upstairs, people helping us no matter how little it is, and they haven’t asked for anything in return. 

Matt Betteridge outside Sobo:Fish next door (Image: Daily Echo)

“They are all now invited for a drink on Sunday night.”

Matt came up with the idea to open a wine bar after realising his existing seafood restaurant next door was becoming busy and customers wanted somewhere to drink whilst waiting for a table.

“The restaurant gets busy in the summer and people want to turn up and have a pre-drink but we always have to send them somewhere else because we are so busy,” he said.

“So then the guy who used to run a lampshade shop where we are now wanted to retire, we thought it would be the ideal place to do it.” 

Business partner Mauro, who is Italian, is somewhat a specialist when it comes to fine wine thanks to his family running a vineyard back in his homeland. 

He has plans of running wine tasting lessons and even a school, where people can become fully qualified professionals.

He said: “I like to say to the customer not to go for the large wine, but to go for the smaller one and taste it and enjoy it with great food.”