A COUPLE with a love of both vinyl records and vegan wines will be opening a shop which ties the two driving forces together.

Whilmari Swift and her partner, Steve Tattam, will be opening their vinyl and vegan wine shop in South Street, Manningtree.

The business, called Winyl, will be specialising in vegan and organic wine reflecting the recent rise in vegan diets as well as vinyl records.

Owner Steve Tattam spent 20 years in the music industry for Virgin and OurPrice before moving into duty free sales as an operations manager.

Whilmari said: “Wine is Steve’s passion and so are vinyls and there are hardly any places which combine the two.

“So we did our research and went to events like the wine fair in London and discovered there is a huge market for vegan and organic wines.”

Whilmari, who lives in Dedham with Steve, 51, said: “We thought Manningtree was the ideal place to launch the business.

“There is quite a bit of trade in South Street at the moment and it’s a good accessible street for the business.”

She said there are more than 3 million people in the UK taking up a vegan diet for many reasons and not

everyone realises animal products are used in clarifying wines.

The 40-year-old said her customers will be able to taste and buy wine by the glass or bottle to enjoy in store or take home.

Winyl will also stock vintage vinyl to play in store as well as new releases, classic re-issues, limited addition and coloured vinyl.

The prices of the wine will range between £10 and £15, and customers can either taste the wine and buy a bottle or have a glass inside the shop and listen to music.

The business is set to open on October 6 after renovation work at the premises is completed. Visit winyl.co.uk.