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HAS ANYONE NOTICED THE MERE HAS A PINK HUE THIS SUMMER…?

…and other exaggerated claims.

Instagram’s international lifestyle experts, and at least one person we spoke to called Angela, agree: this summer, the Mere definitely has a pink hue.

For years, the Côte d’Azur has enjoyed an unfair monopoly on leisurely lunches, chilled pale-rosé and attractive people pretending not to notice they are attractive. But according to reports emerging from the Waveney Valley this week, the balance of power may be shifting.

Locals have noted unusual scenes in a corner of Diss. Tables are appearing. Platters are multiplying. Ice buckets have been sighted in broad daylight.

The signs are unmistakable.

Rosé season has arrived – and it’s not all pale and pink!

Industry observers describe rosé as the world’s most relaxed wine, it requires no discussion on Flintiness, grape varieties, or the emotional journey of a complicated production methodé. One leading commentator famously remarked that you can throw an ice cube into rosé without fear of criticism. A radical concept now being embraced by progressive thinkers throughout East Anglia.

“It doesn’t take life too seriously,” explains one brand ambassador and neither, it appears, does Diss.

Indeed, chilled-reds remarkable rise has been linked to its ability to accompany almost anything. Seafood, charcuterie, olives, grilled vegetables, sunshine, conversation, mild gossip and the phrase ‘just one more’ have all been identified as natural partners.

Meanwhile, trend forecasters suggest the public is increasingly seeking what they describe as a touch of the Côte d’Azur, but without the need for fingerprints, facial scans and a lengthy queue at the European border.

Research suggests similar effects can be achieved by sitting in a courtyard in Diss, of all places, with a chilled glass and a Mediterranean sharing platter.

“The economic implications are profound,” commented Liz a regular to Norfolk House Yard

Sources indicate that rosé has now evolved beyond being merely a pink-wine and has become what Insta-experts call a lifestyle. New developments ahead of Kyle rosé and chicken rosé include rosé spritzes, sparkling rosé, frozen rosé, and rosé consumed while discussing holidays that may or may not actually happen.

Some analysts are already referring to this phenomenon as The Diss Riviera, sceptics remain unconvinced, pointing out that ‘it’s a nice full bodied red you want’  but as temperatures remain suspiciously Mediterranean and platters continue to emerge from kitchens across the county, those in the know, predict a significant migration towards the courtyards on Saturday 1st August from 6pm, where chilled wines will be flowing and leisurely evenings will be treated as a matter of public importance.

Whether you arrive as a dedicated chilled-red enthusiast or simply someone looking to “get out of the house for a bit”, experts agree on one thing:

There are few things in life less intimidating than a glass filled with something pink.

SATURDAY 1st AUGUST from 6pm

Courtyard dining • A chilled-wine Festival • Mediterranean platters • Good company

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More info for new deli dividend referrals

Will 2026 be our year and what does it look like?

Borrowed Origins | Field Blend Fiasco | Six Pack | 6x75cl

Reading back my thoughts early in 2025 it seems like we got most things right – trading wise we grew in 2024 and closed the year with our highest sales to date.

Two big events happened in the last quarter of 2025; the launch of Deli Dividends our subscription based loyalty scheme and taking delivery of our first commercial vintage of Borrowed Origins.

So 2026 is going to be all about building on these two intrinsically linked projects. However before head there we should start with deli and wine room and our plans for 2026.

The deli continues to go from strength-to-strength with a real identity of innovative products, I think the biggest shift has been moving ‘homemade’ and ‘local’ from front and centre, which may sound counter intuitive given ‘what do you have that’s local’ is probably our most frequent generic request.

I’m going to thank Jeremy Clarkson for bringing this to the foreground of mainstream TV and his staunch position on British produce at The Farmer’s Dog.

We do have plenty of local produce, Richard Bainbridge’s Provision Range is a good example, produced locally, in house at his award winning Norwich restaurant but many of the ingredients; herbs spices, coffee, fruits, simply aren’t grown locally or indeed in the UK so essentially it is ‘assembled in the UK’ 

Likewise our shop range is assembled in the UK – we source where possible from other like-minded independent businesses, but not specifically local, and not specifically British produce, however it assembled locally, in store by Lisa and Michelle.

The wine room, reinforces this approach, with space for about 200 different wines at any one time, and I like to think we have most tastes covered. But if we forced ourselves to only stock local, then I can thinks of only a handful of wineries. We could move further afield and stock wines from all over the country, especially as a lot of fruit grown in the UK is from Essex (yes even Camel Valley in Cornwall source some of their fruit from Essex) 

So is Camel Valley Cornish, or Essex?

My answer is definitely Cornish but you can see the answer is not a straight forward one.

So we put together a rolling flight of 200 seasonal wines, designed to offer maximum pleasure at any given price point. 

This approach has once again put us in the Top50 best independent wine shops in the UK (number 38 for those that didn’t catch the livestream) This placed us the second highest merchant in Norfolk and Suffolk after Adnams – so we’ll take position with pride.

Now onto Deli Dividends and Borrowed Origins. 

Thanks to the numerous early adopters Deli Dividends had a great start, most of the back office seems to work so 2026 is all about rolling out more and more benefits (I should keep on brand and say pay dividends!)

In order to grow beyond our customer base, we need to encourage and promote the peer-to-peer aspect, we want you to be able to use the app in more places; the obvious starting points for Diss are On The Hill and Florenco’s but also we have also chatted with friends in other towns, Finnian’s in Canterbury, Nekter in Shoreditch, Braslou & BinTwo in Cornwall, The Terrace on the Isle of Wight – it’s a little bit of tour guide, a recommended list of likeminded wine shops and deli’s when traveling around the UK and who knows maybe even further afield.

And this is where Borrowed Origins fits in – The underlying principal of Deli Dividends, is a medium of exchange at a local level, from a subscriber perspective you pay in and can exchange for goods and services in store, but if you can spend your balance at other stores, we need something to exchange with them – and that item is Borrowed Origins – our crowdsourced wine project.

All likeminded indie wine shops, like to have a bit of irreverent wine on their shelves for the curious and downright thirsty customers. So when Nekter order a dozen bottles for their faithful customers, they can make a peer-to-peer payment on Deli Dividends which means you can spend your balance at Nekter should you find yourself at a loose end in Shoreditch.

By making Borrowed Origins only available on the app (and in store at Fredricks obviously) national customers will need to subscribe to deli dividends and build up enough credit to make the purchase. 

With only 600 vines in the ground at Burston, we only intend on releasing a maximum of 600 bottles per year – the current wine is a single barrel of 216 bottles and likely to be the same for 2026.

So if you you or someone you know would like a bottle of the 2026 release – then get them to sign up to £2.50 per month and by Christmas they will be able to exchange for a bottle of our next release, or a quiche or twelve 😉