TGt Meets... Ben Franks

We had a chat with wine enthusiast Ben Franks, one of the founders of independent online retailer Novel Wines, about Bath and what it's like to run his business from the city!

What inspired you to set up Novel Wines here?

We send wine all over the UK but our base of operations is in Bath. Not only does it have good links to places all over the country and Bath is a truly beautiful city, but it's also a place we call home. Gyorgy and I have been locals in Bath for a few years now and I'm sure people will agree that once you've lived here you can't help but stay!

Describe your business in three words...

Unique, undiscovered wines.

What makes your business different from your competitors?

There's so many brilliant wine merchants out there selling the classics, such as your French Burgundies or Spanish Riojas. We felt wine was becoming too safe and boring. It's easy to get excited about gin and craft beer or a brand new cocktail to try but when we go and buy a bottle of red wine most of us are just looking for the special offers.

We want to change that. We source unique, high quality wines from all over the globe that showcase emerging wine regions like Japan, Croatia, Hungary, Uruguay, England & Wales and beyond. But we also look for stories. The great thing about every one of our wines is they not only taste great but each one is a talking point. Something to drink with friends, share over a meal or give as a gift.

If you could choose one favourite from your wine list, what would it be?

Difficult question! For me it's the Grace Koshu Kayagatake 2015 . It's a beautiful 100% Koshu white wine made by one of the trade's top female winemakers called Ayana Misawa. In January Ayana's father, Shigekazu Misawa, flew over from Japan to give me a tank sample of his 2016 vintage and it was just such an honour. It's so fresh and lemony that when you pair it with sushi or white fish, the wine is like a seasoning, complementing the flavours. Give it a try! My favourite red is the deep, dark, chocolatey Plavac Mali - a grape variety known locally in Croatia as the "Blood of the Soil" - made by Matusko Winery on the Dalmatia Islands. The Matusko Dingac 2011 isn't cheap but it's unlike anything you've tried.

Why do you think Bath is such an attractive place for businesses?

Bath is a lovely place to set up a business. It's begging for something new and exciting to go with all the brilliant independents that are already here, so there's a true buzz about bringing something a bit different to market here. It's also a foodie haven, so it works very well for a wine business!

How do you like to spend your time off?

I drink a lot of coffee at Green Bird Cafe on Margaret Buildings or, after a whole 3-year degree of attempting to, I've finally got into reading great books. I love the classics, I love reading about business, food, comedy, drama. I used to be a massive film buff but since I spend a lot of time building our online business, a break from the screen and a good book in the sunshine is a lovely past time. When I'm not working, drinking coffee or reading books, I'm usually eating food (but who doesn't love great food, right?)

What has been your biggest achievement to date?

Personally, it was getting engaged to my better half Niamh last year. For my business life it was Pie Magazine. When I was 16 I set up an online magazine and ran that for over 5 years. At its height we had nearly 100 volunteer writers and many of them went into writing, publishing or designing jobs later on. I think that magazine venture is the main reason for all my big achievements since.

What have been your key challenges and how have you overcome them?

Good question! There are little challenges every day. Being an entrepreneur isn't an easy road and when people describe it as a rollercoaster they really mean it! The nice thing about Novel Wines is a rollercoaster in the wine world is always an enjoyable one. Our challenge is getting people in front of our wines. We know when they've tried them, they'll love them. The challenge is persuading someone who has enjoyed Claret all their life to drink a Hungarian or Indian red wine instead!

Your 2pm meeting has been cancelled, meaning you now have a two-hour lunch break. What do you do?

Two hours is enough time to justify lunch out and a glass of wine or two, right? I ring my fiance and ask if she can get an extra hour off work for an indulgent lunch. Failing that, I go for a walk on a nice day and clear my head as I don't get much opportunity for that!

What are your plans for the future?

We have our big annual wine tasting party every year in September, which is a really exciting way to measure how we're doing! Our big plan is to set up a wine tasting bar in Bath. We have a really exciting proposition to offer people and we think Bath will love it.