How Much Should I Spend on a Bottle of Wine?

One of the questions we get asked a lot in The Hub is how much to spend on a decent bottle of wine? There isn’t an exact answer to this, but it’s important to understand the costs that go into producing an average bottle of wine to help you to work out where your money is going when you pick up a bottle.

The average cost of a bottle of wine in the UK is around £4.50 with 56% of this going on tax. In the UK around two thirds of wine drunk is purchased from supermarkets, and they use their purchasing power to buy in bulk, sell at cost or often below cost if they can recoup money on higher priced items.

So how much should you spend? Well if you buy a £5 bottle of wine, by the time you’ve taken off taxes (VAT & Duty which accounts for a whopping 53% of the purchase price), bottling costs, packaging costs, shipping costs, retail & wholesale profit you are left with about 30p to make the wine. This means that the winery will go for quantity as opposed to quality using mountains of cheap grapes and masking unwanted flavours with added sulphites.

If you trade up to a £8 bottle of wine the amount of money given back to the wine producer soars to around £3. With ten times as much going back to the winemaker they can invest in higher quality grapes and experiment with different flavours, such as aging in oak casks or maturing the wine for longer before bottling. The end result of this extra investment being a much better bottle of wine.
Wine experts generally agree that the best value wines are priced broadly between £6 and £9, as that way a decent amount of cash actually goes into the wine. The trouble is how you know if a “£10” bottle of wine in a supermarket isn’t being set up for a 50% off deal, meaning it should be around £5 anyway? The only way to avoid being “done” is to stick to small independents, such as ourselves, who aren’t in the business of sacrificing the quality of wine we sell to make a quick buck!

So in answer to the question, how much to spend on a bottle of wine? The real answer is as much as you can afford. Given all the fixed costs involved in producing a bottle of wine, you don’t have to go much over the average priced bottle to notice a real difference in your glass.

If you would like to see a list of the wines available at The Hub simply e-mail us to request our latest wine tasting notes & prices.   You can also view our latest wines on our facebook page.  

Are you ready for the Digital Switchover?

Over the next coming weeks you will start to see more adverts on the TV and leaflets posted out to you regarding the Digital Switch over. Below are the planned dates for STV region.

Craigkelly TransmitterServing Lothian, parts of Edinburgh and part of Fife
The switchover process will start on 1 June and complete on 15 June 2011.

Black Hill TransmitterServing Glasgow, central Scotland and parts of Edinburgh
The switchover process will start on 8 June and complete on 22 June 2011

You'll have to make sure each television in your house can receive digital TV. It's really straightforward, and you can get a digital box or digital TV recorder to work with your existing TV. If you fancy a new telly, then all the digital TVs out there come with Freeview inside so you're set to enjoy the wonder of free TV land.

But why is all this happening?
Simply put, it's a better future for TV. Digital television gives you more choice of TV channels with greater clarity. With Freeview you get the very best in entertainment free: comedy from E4, a wealth of entertainment from ITV2 and the latest events from BBC News. And with Film4 movies, CBeebies' children's TV, UKTV History or Sky Three, you'll never run short of new things to watch.

The picture's clearer, the sound is sharper and you'll have access to a variety of interactive services just by pressing the red button on your remote control.

I already have a digital TV – Do I need to do anything?
Yes you will have to retune all your Digital TV’s or Digital box’s to make sure you are receiving all the channels, do this on 1st of June and once again on the 15th of June if you are receiving your TV pictures from the craigkelly Transmitter. Or 8th of June and the 22nd of June if you receive your TV pictures from the Black Hill Transmitter.

If you have any questions or would like to make an appointment for a home visit then please drop into the shop (The Hub) or give our resident gadgetman a call on: Tel 01786 825933.

April Showers!

Even without having kids at school it's easy for most people to work out that the Easter Holidays have started.  How? Well because ever since they broke up on Friday last week it has done nothing but pour down!

Now I know we all cherish our kids, but as the days and weeks loom ahead, with little reassurance from the weather forecast even the most organised of us can run out of ideas of what to do.  As parents ourselves we've worked hard to make sure that we have a variety of ideas in the shop to help families cope with the very changeable weather at this time of year. 

We've ensured that there is a great variety of family friendly films available so that if it suddenly starts raining you can grab a movie and head indoors.  These include classic animation such as Cinderella, family comedies such as Are We There Yet and blockbusting fantasies like The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.  Throughout the month of April (whilst the kids are off school for what seems like forever) we have our pick of the top family friendly movies being released:

1. Megamind
2. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows - Part 1
3. Legend of the Guardians
4. Tron Legacy
5. Animals United

We also appreciate how frustrating it can be when the kids simply can't get outside to play.  It's either raining, or during the dry spells, the parks and playgrounds are too wet & muddy to use.  Our Wii games (available for weekly hire) are a fantastic way to get the whole family active indoors.  Why not challenge each other with games like "Just Dance" and "Wii Party".  Even the youngest members of the family can join in with great pre-school games including "Playmobil Circus" and "Peppa Pig: Fun & Games". 



Bizipod Ralley Car £4.99

We also know that families often use these extended school holidays for day trips or short & long breaks away.  Of course this generally involves a long car or airplane journey with choruses of "are we nearly there yet?" ringing in our ears.  We've introduced some fantastic and affordable solutions to those journeys, from renting one of our DS games (available for weekly rental) to purchasing one of our bizipods and fidget-pods to make sure little hands aren't idle too long.  We also have a range of collectable characters to get their imagination fired up - including Hello Kitty, Filly Princess, Sylvanian Families, Gogos Crazy Bones, Mighty Beanz and Gomu/Iwako. 

Sylvanian Families Field Mouse Baby £4.99

Of course lots of these things can be used as....shh...bribery!  When all else fails it's amazing how bedrooms can be tidied, peace & quiet restored and chores finished without complaint to ensure that the latest collectable or movie is earned!  

So we can't guarantee the weather this Easter Break, but we can help you to guarantee solutions to keep your family happy.  What are you doing this Easter to make sure everyone is kept entertained?

Friday Cocktails!

We've got that Friday feeling and it's giving us a great excuse to dust off the cocktail shaker and start mixing it up at home!  As wine drinkers we find wine based cocktails a great opportunity to try out some different ideas.  The trick with these cocktails is to use a wine that you would be happy to drink alone, but it doesn't have to be too expensive. 

The most common Wine based cocktail is "The Spritzer".  This turns a glass of wine into a refreshing long drink.

1 cup white wine
1/2 cup club soda
ice cubes
lemon & lime slices
mint leaves

Add the wine to tall glass and top up with club soda.  Add ice and a slice of lemon & lime and a few mint leaves to garnish.

What most people don't realise is how easy it is to vary this simple recipe to create different tastes.  Try swapping the club soda for lemonade, or adding some frozen peaches or raspberries instead of ice to create a different flavour.  You can also try it rose or red wine or add a splash of flavoured schnapps or cointreau to add a new twist!

In Spain they enjoy a similar drink made with red wine and cola.  Simply add the two in equal measures into a glass and serve either at room temperature, or lightly chilled.  The Spanish call this Kalimotxo (Basque) or Calimocho, and in Chile is known as Jote (Chilean Spanish for black vulture).  You can vary it by adding a dash of lime, flavoured cola or some Ouzo or blackberry liqueur for an extra kick. 

For all of these recipes we would recommend our Il Meridione Wines - Catarratto (white) and Nero d'Avola (Red).  Both of these are very easy drinking, but lend themselves perfectly to cocktails with a price point of £5.99 or 2 for £10.00.

Have fun experimenting and share your favourite combination here or on our facebook page!

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions!

We often get asked if we prefer being self employed to working for someone else.  Our general response is "Yes", but we do find that it has its drawbacks - the main thing being that when it comes to making decisions the buck stops here!  As a husband and wife team we spend a lot of time making decisions together that, when we get it right, make us feel fantastic, but when we get it wrong, can be upsetting, and hard not to take on a personal level leading to "The Doubt". 

In terms of decision making we are everything to The Hub; Buyer, PR, Marketing, Sales Manager not to mention the day-to-day running as  customer services, cleaner and chief cook & bottle washer (as my mum would put it)! 

As we have grown, where possible, we have passed on some of the work load to local business experts (thank goodness for book-keepers and accountants).  However, one thing that we really love doing, albeit it's a steep learning curve, is our PR & Marketing.  This month we have decided to advertise on the front cover of our local monthly publication, hopefully making sure that everyone in Dunblane sees it, whether they read it cover to cover or not.  We've embraced Social Networking and really enjoying using our Facebook Page and Twitter account to keep in touch with our customers on a daily if not hourly basis.  We have also taken part in a blogging carnival (the first time we've done it, and with some measured success).     

Over the past week we have been reviewing how we've marketed our business in the past year, and options open to us for the future - more decisions!   In particular we've looked at printed promotional items, such as carrier bags, and whether or not to operate an e-commerce website.  The carrier bags were relatively easy - a quick appeal went out to a business group we are members of and before you know it we had a selection of quotes to choose from!  Simple!

The website, however, we've found to be a minefield!  Over the past few months we've contacted various local companies, some have been more eager for the business than others, as well as looking at off-the-shelf packages and larger organisations to design and build a specific site for us.  It's been very tricky to work out how best to approach the idea, and of course as it's just the two of us making all the decisions we quickly begin to doubt some of the solutions we've suggested and often end up taking in circles about all the options open to us. 

It wasn't until I was following up on the blogging carnival that I found a blog from a fellow mumpreneur that gave advice on setting up our own online shop.  This simple to follow guide has been so good in helping us to make our decisions without "The Doubt" creeping in.

So we are moving forwards and should have our e-commerce website up and running very soon.  It just goes to show that sometimes getting involved in different forms of promotion can be a great way of learning about new opportunities.  As one of our good customers & local entrepreneur has told us "If you can think it, then do it".  So from now on we are going to try to stop dancing around business decisions!  It's the only way we can get out of our comfort zone and grow The Hub!

What do you do when you start to feel "The Doubt"?

Cheers to all Mums out there!

Sunday saw the first official day of Spring, and the weather in Dunblane has certainly reflected the change of season.  The sun has been shining and it's been fabulous to have our shop door propped wide open and fresh air flooding in.  We are lucky enough to have a stunning view from the back window of our shop that represents the seasons beautifully (pictured below).  Someday in the future we hope to change the layout of the shop so that everyone can enjoy it whilst they are browsing. 

The springtime celebrations of Mother's Day and Easter are just around the corner and we have some fantastic ideas to help make sure your mum knows she's the best!

Whilst stocks last we are doing a special offer on the Pink Motormouse Wireless Mouse.  Featured on Dragons Den, this is the must-have item for computer loving mums who have their finger on the pulse of fashion!  Normally £29.99, we are reducing it to just £25.00 to help you show your mum how fab she is!  If you are local to Dunblane just e-mail us and we can keep one for you to collect in store, alternatively we can post anywhere within the uk for just £3.00 when you order (we'll e-mail you a paypal link). 

We also have some incredible offers for the discerning wine lover out there.  Why not celebrate with sparkle with our Pink by Yellowglen Sparkling Rose (£7.99), or the finest Prosecco we've ever tasted outside Italy - Le Dolci Colline (was £9.99 now £8.99) -also available silk lined gift boxed set with 2 champagne flutes for just £19.99. 

We have a comprehensive wine list available in store to suit any mums taste - you can e-mail us to request your copy.

To compliment our independent wines we stock an exclusive range of Urban Bar Glassware - the glassware used by Gleneagles Hotel in their main bar.  Why not treat your mum to a pair of champagne flutes (was £19.95 now £15 per pair) or large wine glasses (was £21 now £15 per pair) so they can experience the 5-star treatment in their own home.  Compliment it with a bottle of Mirabello Pinot Grigio (also sold in Gleneagles Hotel) or one of our sparkling suggestions above. 

If a G&T is more your mum's thing then our Double Old Fashioned Urban Bar glasses (was £14 now £10 per pair) will make a perfect gift on April 3rd.  

Whilst you are at it - why not treat her to a girlie flick of her choice.  As a mum myself, I love nothing more than being able to relax, with total control over the tv remote, and watch a movie of my choice.  My top 5 titles this Mother's Day are:

1. Priceless
2. Made in Dagenham
3. Easy A
4. The Rebound
5. The Blind Side

Of course, if my children want to rub my feet and hand feed me chocolate at the same time I'm always happy with that too....

Whatever you decide to do this Mother's Day we just want to say "Cheers" to all the hard-working mums out there.  Happy Mother's Day from us!

Making Homework Fun with Gomu Collectable Erasers

Each year children seem to latch onto a different collectable trend. Last year was the year of the Silly Bandz, where collectable shaped rubber bands were worn as bracelets and traded amongst friends.  As the craze grew and as with all collectable trends, the schools were quick to ban them quickly putting an end to it all. 
Well this year, the trend looks set to be for a collection that is less likely to trouble the schools, as they actually have a practical use during the school day. 

Gomu are shaped collectable erasers that come in a range of different characters with different value points.  Gomu points let you know how rare each rubber is, the higher the points value the rarer the design.  Each individual rubber can also be split apart allowing you to mix and match the different colours.  There are 10 themes, with over 100 erasers to collect in series 1 and a new website has been designed allowing children to "value" their collection.  

Gomu (Japanese for Eraser) are made in the same tradition of intricate shapes as the original Japanese Iwako.  They are available in individual foil bags (£1), 3 pack(£2.99) and 6 pack (£4.99).

As well as being used practically as a rubber, kids can draw the various characters, make up stories with them or just display them.  Perfect as pocket money toys, or as gifts in party bags - now your kids can take their latest collectable toy to school with them, without getting in trouble.