Started in 2017 by James and Ellie Thorne, Thorne Wines is an independent wine merchant looking to share our family’s passion, know-how and love of wine. We have carefully selected each wine that we sell; and we believe every bottle has a story to tell that goes way beyond the label! You will find that the wine we sell is accompanied by information on both the producer and the grape variety, to allow you to gain a deeper appreciation of the product turning up on your doorstep.

We believe that our story is unique. Not only does James bring years of experience advising wine lovers (and novices!) through retail and private sales, he has also worked as an assistant winemaker in both South Africa and the UK. Ellie hasn’t done either - but, she loves to travel - which combined with James’ desire to visit vineyards at every opportunity, has exposed our growing family to a lot! Our varied and interesting stock comes from just that; being exposed to a wide range of wines through the lens of a deep understanding of the winemaking process. As a wine novice herself, Ellie knows how overwhelming and pretentious the wine industry can seem; we are approachable, easy going and here to offer help and advice should you want it. We are also HUGE foodies, so we love playing around with pairings and will share with you the good, the bad and the ugly of our successes and our disasters! We specialise in wines from South Africa and Spain but sell gems from all over the world.

Based in Cambridge, we happily offer tastings for both intimate groups and bigger parties, and celebration wines for weddings. As first-time business owners, we are always on the lookout for collaborations, so do get in touch if you need a good flight of wine for a pop-up, a food fair or any other event!

We would cherish the opportunity to introduce you to new wines, help to restock old favourites and to learn from you of any wines that we are missing out on!

Now, where’s the corkscrew?!

- James, Ellie, Ottilie, Kit and Lilah