Whether it is a sherry you require for your trifle or enough champagne for a banquet, Mark Banham, owner of Morrish & Banham, will be able to pick something special. Newly opened for business at the end of 2015 in the Brewery Square Development, Dorchester, this Wine Merchant and Tasting Room features a century old Baltic pitch pine table made from the timbers of the original Victorian Eldridge Pope Brewery, from which the site gets his name.
After an early torch lit walk with his dog, Mark drops his children off at school and carries on to work. He looks at the orders for the coming week and manages any social media and paperwork while dealing with the customers coming through the door. Also offering antipasti and local cheese with his wines, Mark may be preparing for a private wine tasting that evening round his bespoke table or offering a tasting event at a local establishment—he hosted one at the Seaside Boarding House in Burton Bradstock recently.
Prior to Morrish & Banham, Mark was Retail Manager for Palmers Brewery. He was in charge of wine buying for 13 years and before that worked at Tanners in Shrewsbury. But his love of wine started many years before when he chose to work at a wine merchant for work experience at school. And now, the Brewery Square shop is designed on his romantic memory of that first wine merchant he worked in.
On Sundays, Mark is often in a muddy field, coaching the U9 Bridport Rugby Team. Finding it a complete break from his rapidly emerging business, rugby provides Mark with the enjoyment of seeing children progress and improve. It is also a wonderful way of spending time with his son. After rugby, it’s a walk with the dog and then a family roast supper—with something cheeky from the cellar.
