The café and bar is located in Newton High Street and offers customers a chance to delve deep into the history of wine.

Experienced or not, the service is perfect for expanding your knowledge on wine and experiment with different flavours.

The high-tech enomatic wine machine allows customers to independently try out wines, with chalk boards and guides placed to explain each wine’s qualities.

Riddling Rack is co-owned by Alexandra Myhill and Alison Wilson, with Alison having completed exams to specialise in wine. 

She said: "Having been to wine school and completed my wine exams, I learnt so much about the amazing world of wine.

"It really resonated with me that there were so many delicious wines out there but understandably we generally stick to what we know.

"The desire to share this learning and knowledge about wine has formed part of our ethos at the Riddling Rack.

"We want people to have a journey with us, tasting grapes and wines they may not have experienced before and understanding more about what they like to drink or pair with food."

The process

The process is fairly straightforward: the customer is given a Riddling Rack card that they can deposit money into, which they will then insert into the enomatic machine. Once the card is inserted, choose the wine of your choice before selecting a small, medium, or large glass.

There is no judgement of which size you choose, however, it is recommended to begin with a small glass in case the chosen wine might not suit each individual’s palette.

Once you have received a glass, remove your card from the machine and reinsert when you are ready for another glass.

You can keep this card until your next visit, where the money left over on the card can be reused. 

The experience

Having never been to a wine tasting, I was curious to know what the process was.

The process at the Riddling Rack was both creative and straightforward, which allowed you to ease into the experience fairly quickly.

We were guided through each bottle, and prior to tasting its content, we received an in-depth introduction to the origins of the wine, which allowed you to take a sip with far more respect and awareness to the flavour, and a better understanding as why the wine tasted how it did.

We were encouraged to swirl the drink in our mouths before swallowing, which awakened further flavours of the grape we might have missed.

Each wine had a personality of its own and learning why that was made it taste all the better.

Due to the enomatic machine, the wines were a perfect temperature which complimented the taste.

Overall, it was a high-quality and educational experience at the Riddling Rack.