Independent Wine Specialist, Birmingham

	Connolly's Wine Merchants Ltd is Birmingham’s City Centre’s only Independent Wine Merchants, we have been family owned and run since 1976 and continue to provide a personal, flexible and comprehensive service to all our customers. Connolly's have a treasure trove of a wine shop located near St Paul's Square and the famous Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham. www.connollys-wine.co.uk/contact-us.php We also supply wholesale to restaurants, bars, pubs, hotels and conference centres across Birmingham and The West Midlands. If you're setting up a new restuarant or bar, or if you are unhappy with the service, flexibilty or standard of wines from your current supplier do not hesitate to contact one of our expert team. Our range is second to none and between us we have over 70 years of experience in the wine trade, so if you you have not yet visted our shop, please do pop in and see us. In an age of global brands, call centres and supermarket dominance, the emphasis at Connolly’s remains focussed strongly on the individual. Our own independence provides us with a flexibility both in terms of the service we offer and the range we carry that we believe to be second to none. If we like a wine and it meets our criteria in terms of quality and value, we can buy it, there and then without going through a long-winded, procurement procedure. Wherever possible we deal directly with growers, most of whom we have come to know through personal visits to the vineyards - when sourcing new wines, there really is no alternative to getting out and meeting the grower to get an understanding of the individual and his or her philosophy. Our sales team are qualified to WSET diploma level standard as well as having tasted the wines at source so they can ensure that our clients get the best service possible. Our Livery Street store is open Monday to Friday 9am to 5.30pm and Saturdays from 10am to 4pm. Whether you are looking for one bottle of Pinot Grigio for about £5 or a case Grand Cru Burgundy our staff will be happy to help you.
	THE TEAM
	Chris Connolly - Managing Director Click here for interview with Chris Connolly in Harpers Trade Magazine Chris@connollyswine.co.uk Chris is the backbone of Connolly’s; having taken the helm in 1980 Chris has endeavoured to move the company forward whilst retaining its family roots and independent mindset. Aside from Chris’s uncontrollable obsession with buying and selling Burgundy, his passion for wine is contagious and he his always on the look out for something new and interesting. Chris has the WSET diploma in wine and occasionally ponders upon attempting the MW, but is currently far too busy bringing you fabulous wines!
	Tania Connolly - Company Secretary and Accounts Manager Tania@connollyswine.co.uk Tania arrived one day to give Chris a helping hand, she kindly agreed to stay for 6 weeks, 20 years later and she is still here. After finally realising that this clearly wasn’t a temporary position, Tania has taken a leap from her books of figures and a break from customs and excise to delve into the world of wine. Tania has now received the Advanced Certificate in Wines and Spirits from the WSET .
	Mark Stammers - Purchasing Manager, IT Coordinator and Helpdesk sales@connollyswine.co.uk After stints improving his self-defence skills whilst managing off-licences in "interesting" parts of Birmingham and London Mark joined Connolly’s at the tail-end of the last millennium. Alongside a degree in chemistry and an extensive knowledge of pub trivia Mark also has the WSET Diploma in wines and spirits, which has proved the most useful of the three over the years. In the office Mark’s role is to try and keep things running smoothly, stop the computers from breaking down and try to make sure we have the stock that we need when we need it. He also looks after our range of spirits and wines from Southern France.
	Ed Orchard - Sales & Support Executive ed@connollyswine.co.uk Ed is the newest member of the Connolly’s team, having joined us in June 2011. After initially studying economics in Liverpool, Ed decided that the world of finance was for him, but sorting out people’s cellars was. So, having discovered the joys of wine, he found wine asylum with Oddbins. Five mostly happy years (the final death throes of the company not withstanding) were spent tasting, studying and selling all Bacchus had to offer with the reward of the position of General Manager of the Colmore Row branch. Following Oddbin’s demise, and unable to stand the sight of a poor wine stray wondering the streets of Birmingham, Chris took in Ed and all his fabulous expertise.
	Eleri Rossiter - Retail Manager & Events Co-ordinator eleri@connollyswine.co.uk
	Richard Hopley - Warehouse Manager Richard, who always knows someone who knows someone who can help you out with anything, has been our warehouse manager since 2007. Actually Richard worked for Connolly’s back in 1990 on seeing that we had a vacancy he came running back . Richard takes charge of incoming and outgoing deliveries and is constantly putting things in order in the warehouse.
	Terry Fradgley - 'Our Terry' Terry is possibly the most well connected van driver in Birmingham, having played / been a member of various rugby clubs throughout Birmingham. Terry has worked for Connolly’s delivering our wines up and down the Midlands since 2004 and had previous worked with us as a temporary driver.