Member Spotlight: KASK

KASK is a wine bar in Bristol, founded by friends and run by couple, Charlie and Natalie.  The couples love of wine was inspired by fellow NCASS members Grace & James in Birmingham.

KASK opened in late 2019, they describe their vision for the bar as ‘an idea born of holiday dreaming that became a reality: friends in San Sebastián, drunk on wine, tapas and sunshine, thinking how great it would be to open our own small bar’ being the first dedicated natural wine bar in Bristol – Charlie has an unfortunate allergy to most alcohol and was delighted to discover natural wines that didn’t trigger his symptoms.

Not everyone knows exactly what natural wine is so we asked ChatGTP, and it told us that it is wine made with minimal intervention, both in the vineyard and the winery. This means that grapes are often organically or biodynamically farmed, there are little to no added sulphites, wild (native) yeasts are used for fermentation and filtration, fining, and additives are avoided or kept to a minimum. In short: its wine made with as little manipulation as possible, aiming to let the grape and terroir speak for themselves.

Natural, organic, vegan, and biodynamic wines offer exciting alternatives to conventionally produced wines especially among those concerned with sustainability. Fast-farming with the use of chemicals in the form of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides alongside others, is prevalent in the wine industry, but not by those winemakers that adopt minimal-intervention practices.

Such chemicals can also result in an allergy, which can manifest in various ways, from mild symptoms like headaches and skin itching to more severe reactions such as breathing difficulties. Charlie’s allergy manifests in the form of congestion and intense sneezing for, he says, usually 24 hours after having a wine with chemicals in its production.

It’s important to Charlie and Natalie that they break down barriers to natural wine – it’s what they do along with a great range of beer and wonderful cheese. Their approach aims to make wine more accessible and create new experiences for their customers, from casual drinkers to wine enthusiasts, they’ve got something for everyone and they say no to sh*t wine!

Charlie and Natalie have both worked in Marketing and Communications for many years, so they came into the industry with a creative, strategic and problem-solving mindset which came in handy when KASK had to close in 2020 because of the pandemic.

6 months after opening, Covid-19 hit but being communications pros, the team pivoted to problem solving mode and swapped their in-house experience with online cheese & wine tastings and at-home DIY tasting kits. This kept KASK afloat.

Fast forward to post-pandemic indie hospitality 2.0 and KASK have created a popular neighbourhood bar with a welcoming atmosphere that happens to sell natural wine.  In 2022 they opened Kitchen By Kask – a venue opposite the bar on North Street with a rotating kitchen designed to celebrate Bristol’s diverse street food culture.

Bristol is renowned for its indies and businesses across the city are proud to be owner operated independents. National chains will inevitably try and take up some of that space but the city has always been pro small business. ‘Right now everyone is struggling so it’s more important than ever that small businesses support each other’ Charlie tells me when we discuss the current challenges facing our sector. ‘Managing costs and staffing are particularly difficult, we follow the Living Wage guidelines and have created a supportive working environment but there are still many challenges’. As you will well know, the impact of Brexit on sourcing products and costs is still ever present and more understanding and support is needed across VAT and business rates policy.

These challenges mean that the KASK team have to be at the top of their creative and flexible game as market conditions continue to change. Staying true to their independent ethos whilst staying competitive is a challenge that all business face and one that requires the skills the KASK team have, having a strong belief in what you do, creating reasons for customers to keep coming back and responding to trends is key and KASK have always been ahead of the curve in that respect, they’ve been selling keg wine for a long time now and are always exploring new beer options as well as providing the opportunity for their customers to gain knowledge through their tasting events.

Despite the challenging environment, the team believe in Bristol and expansion is again on the cards.  They are set to open their third site on the Cheltenham Road which speaks volumes about KASK– if you’re able to grow in the current climate you’re doing it right. Bristol will soon be able to enjoy Kask’s community building, customer focused, unassuming brand of hospitality in the north of the city and we’re sure that it’ll be the place to go for good times and even better wine.

Kask joined NCASS when they first opened, having never owned a hospitality business before, the health & safety systems, training resources and help and guidance continue to be invaluable to them and have helped them trade and grow in a challenging environment.

Follow KASK:

Home

https://www.instagram.com/kaskwine

https://www.facebook.com/kaskwine