A weekly wine ritual.
Order by Tuesday, collect in Hexham or Newcastle on Saturday.
Pre-orders for each Saturday close Tuesday 11:59pm —
after that, you're first in line for the following Saturday.
The order book is open.
Where are we this week?
Join us at
The Biscuit Factory
for the wine shop’s Newcastle debut.
The first Saturdays.
We're early days, and proud of it. In our first few weeks a small handful of orders have found their way to tables in Hexham and the surrounding area — an honest start to what we hope is a long conversation.
Every Saturday we learn a little more about what this corner of the world likes to drink, and we tailor the next week's lineup to match. Yours could be part of the next Saturday.
The Hermit Six
Six bottles. No decisions required.
Something bubbly. Something curious. Something properly good. Something to put in the fridge. Something for pasta. Something for when you simply want a red.
A quick heads-up before you order: it's pickup only for now (no delivery yet) — Hexham or Newcastle on a Saturday (we’ll confirm via email), order by Tuesday 11:59pm. You must be 18+ (ID if you look under 25). If a bottle's not to your taste, tell me — I'll steer you better next time. That's the whole fine print.
£118
Something bubbly. Something curious. Something properly good. Something to put in the fridge. Something for pasta. Something for when you simply want a red.
What happens next
Order by Tuesday 11:59pm and I confirm your order with a quick note.
I sort your wine — taste-checked and packed by hand — ready for Saturday between 10:00am-2:00pm.
Collect in Hexham (I’ll send you the full details). Photo ID if you might look under 25 (Challenge 25). 18+ only.
Rather choose your own?
Browse what’s in the shop this week — a few familiar, a few less so, all things I’d happily put into somebody’s hands.
A few favourites.
Not your ordinary bottle of bubbles
You’d expect an Olympic-gold-medalist-turned-winemaker to produce some damn fine wine, right? Thankfully, that’s exactly what’s happened here.
Proudly made “the old way,” this prosecco has everything you want: fragrant citrus and florals, a fine, elegant mousse, and just a touch of honeyed brioche on the end. But don’t expect any sweetness - this wine is beautifully dry and drinkable.
Brunch? Parties? Bubble bath and good book? Anniversaries? Breakups? Tuesday? Yep, this one can handle it all.
An irresistible red with an irrepressible smile.
I know I shouldn’t admit to having favourites…but when you taste this bottle, you’ll understand why it’s worth breaking that rule.
This excellent red has never met a meal it can’t enhance - it’s bright and expressive, silky and agile, bursting with red fruits, grounded with earth, rounded by spice, and elevated with a kiss of brine on top that takes it from delicious to exquisite.
What can I say? It’s perfect.
A bit of coastal magic in a bottle.
“Mouth-watering” is, admittedly, a slightly inelegant term for such a glorious bottle of wine, but it’s overwhelmingly accurate here, so needs must.
Your nose is immediately rewarded with honeyed tropical fruits and citrus, with this floral/blossom thing floating behind, and then a wave of salinity underpins it all on the palate. Deeply satisfying, don’t be surprised if the bottle disappears faster than anticipated. (Might I suggest two?)
I don’t think I’ve ever met a wine so perfectly suited for seafood…or cheeses, white meats, aperitifs, date night, or any night you’re longing for a taste of the Galician coast.
How it works.
1. Choose your bottles.
Each week I taste and choose a small lineup — bottles with something to say. Take The Hermit Six exactly as I've picked it, or swap in your own choices from the week's list. You can't choose badly either way.
2. Order by Tuesday 11:59pm.
Pre-orders close Tuesday at 11:59pm. That deadline is what makes Saturday possible: it gives me time to order, receive and pack each case properly.
3. Collect Saturday 10:00am - 2:00pm.
Swing by this week’s collection spot (I’ll confirm those details when I confirm your wine order) between 10:00am - 2:00pm and pick up your case. If you might look under 25, bring photo ID — we operate Challenge 25 to keep things safe. 18+ only.
Or…Ask the Hermit.
The Concierge for the Curious
Wine talk is best done with a person, not a dropdown. Whatever you're facing — a dinner for eight, a birthday that deserves better than supermarket bubbles, a gift you want to feel considered, or just "something particular" you can't quite name — tell me the shape of it and I'll do the rest.
I'll come back with two or three ideas tailored to you, no pressure attached, and you decide.
Your questions, answered honestly.
Straight answers, no fine print. Anything else — Ask the Hermit.
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You can indeed! We host regular pop-ups at The Biscuit Factory, so you can find us there. Or mention you’d prefer to pick up in Newcastle in your pre-order notes and we’ll arrange it.
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Each week's pre-order closes Tuesday at 11:59pm. Order by then and your wine is ready for Saturday. That deadline is what gives me the days in between to order, receive, and pack every case properly.
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That Saturday's order has closed, but the following week is open — so you're first in line for the next Saturday. If you need something sooner, Ask the Hermit and I'll see what I can do; I'm often able to help.
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Not yet — it's pickup only for now (Hexham and eventually Newcastle on Saturdays). That's deliberate: keeping the wine close and cared-for, and the price honest. Proper home delivery is on the roadmap for when we can do it well, and I'll let the list know the moment it's live. Until then, the Saturday ritual is the point.
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A mixed case of six bottles I've chosen that week after tasting — the ones with life in them. It's usually around £110 for the case (paid at order) but sometimes that will fluctuate a bit depending on the bottles in the lineup. It's rarely the loudest, most famous bottles — it's the ones I'd happily put in your hand and say "you should try this."
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Yes. Take the Six exactly as I've picked it, or start from it and swap bottles for your own picks from the week's lineup. The lineup lists every bottle with a few honest words so you can choose with confidence.
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If a bottle's faulty, I'll replace it, no fuss. If it's simply not your taste, that's genuinely useful to me — tell me what you'd rather be drinking and I'll choose better for you next time. You're never tied into the Six; order one, a few, or take the lot.
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By tasting — a lot. I taste everything before it’s offered, and the wines that make the cut — apart from being made well and tasting delicious — all share a specific quality: life and vitality. I work closely with a small number of incredible importers who care about wine the way I do and champion small, independent producers with passion and great skill. No scores, no points, no hype; if I wouldn't happily pour it for a friend and talk about it, it doesn't make the lineup.
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For choose-your-own, order what fits your table — it doesn't have to be a full six. The Six is six bottles because that will fill your house with great wine for a while, not because of a rule. The only real requirements are 18+ and a Saturday collection.
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You must be 18 or over to order. We operate Challenge 25: if you look under 25 you'll be asked for photo ID when you collect. We don't sell to anyone under 18, and we don't sell to adults buying for someone under 18. Please enjoy responsibly. 🍷
Keep me posted.
Between pickups, this is where the good stuff goes — no weekly noise, no clutter.
Sign up and you'll get:
The week's lineup before it's gone — order by Tuesday, collect Saturday
Invitations to tastings and gatherings, when they happen
A seasonal recommendation or two worth waiting for
Honest news as the shop takes shape
Occasional, worthwhile, and yours to leave anytime (though I do hope you stick around). 18+ only.
Come and go as you please — one click and you're out. No hard feelings.
The best bottles are
rarely the loudest.
The things that stay with us often begin with someone saying, "You should try this."
A friend. The owner of a small shop you've visited for years. The person who always seems to know exactly what to recommend.
The Hermit is being built around that idea.
A collection of wines, spirits, and provisions chosen because we believe in them.
Some you’ll recognise.
Others you’ll wonder how you ever lived without.
That’s what we’re here for.
What earns a place on the shelf.
Not a style.
Not a trend.
Not a checklist.
What matters is something harder to define.
We look for bottles with life in them.
Bottles that feel unmistakably themselves. Bottles with energy, with character. Bottles that leave an impression.
If we wouldn’t enthusiastically place it in someone’s hands and say, “You should try this,” it doesn’t belong here.
A place to linger.
The Hermit is the sort of place people return to.
Somewhere to discover something new. Somewhere to bring friends. Somewhere to stay a bit longer than you intended.
Something for tonight. Something to save for a special occasion. A conversation that lasts longer than expected.
No rush. No pressure. No performance.
Just good bottles, good company, and a place worth returning to.