Ultracomida in Aberystwyth has announced it has converted the restaurant part of its Pier Street delicatessen into an extended wine shop.

The Spanish food importers Ultracomida has also expanded on its wine retail offering – with investment in a new public-facing warehouse on Glan yr Afon Industrial Estate.

The 4,500 square foot warehouse is now open to the public and will offer up to 15 bottles of wine to taste at any time; wholesale customers will also be able to book in for guided tastings.

Meanwhile, £49,000 has been invested into turning the Pier Street shop and restaurant into one of the largest collections of Spanish wines on the Welsh high-street.

Whereas 50 per cent of the floor space used to be reserved for sit-in customers, the refurb has opened up room to grow the variety of wines on show by up to 30 per cent with scope to expand the range further in the near future.

Whilst Ultracomida co-founders Paul Grimwood and Shumana Palit say they have needed to adapt to the constant challenges of the last year, they believe the demand for quality Spanish wines will remain consistent in the coming months and years.

Paul explained: “We saw our online wine sales increase by more than 50 per cent last year, as people looked to drink better and more interesting wines at home.

"Our new website, Spanish Wines Direct, now really makes the most of our impressive range of vermouths, sherries and wines from Montilla-Moriles – which we expanded hugely throughout 2020.

“We have also used the last few months to focus on our connections to winemakers who have challenged themselves to look for new ways of reviving traditional grapes, and of using low intervention methods of farming. We’re looking forward to sharing all of that with our customers too.”

Shumana continued: “It feels strange for us to be focussing so heavily on retail, as we love the hospitality industry, but we’re all doing our best to adapt in the current climate.

“We were a little nervous about revealing the Aberystwyth refurb to our locals and regulars, but luckily, they love it.

“We can already imagine running tastings with a glass of wine and plate of cheese – something for us to look forward to in the not-so-distant future.”