“Le Venue Rye”, a wine warehouse based in South Undercliff, was launched with a party on Tuesday November 7. A converted warehouse, it was once the site of Rother Ironworks, and next to Alsfords Timber Yard it is not, you might think, the most likely or auspicious place to set up a wine warehouse tasting lounge and cocktail school. However, one can never tell the book by its cover and the transformation from a less than beautiful corner of mixed used warehouse premises to its current innovation and internal renovation is quite remarkable.
There is a bar as you enter and going up the stairs to the first floor a second, which serves the lounge. A pleasant surprise, it is tastefully decorated with many pictures of past actors in black and white, atmospherically lit, large enough to take up to fifty people and very appealing with its different sized seating areas, as well as having enough floor space if required, for dancing. That evening a jazz duo entertained us, “The Violet Jive”. They describe their music as a retro swing and Latin sound with a twist.
Le Venue says, “The cocktail school, mentioned above, will be run by expert mixologist Chris Cogan. He has many years of experience and has trained staff at some of London’s top five star hotel cocktail bars. The school will be ideal for all those wishing to attend and living in East Sussex or Kent and surrounding areas and will be a must for cocktail enthusiasts wanting to become excellent mixologists. Being a wine warehouse, “Le Venue Rye” will offer the kind of wine you cannot find in supermarkets, it will be exceptional and competitively priced.”
I had a very enjoyable evening and was impressed by the interior change. It works really well as a comfortable and luxurious place for private hire. There are also many other plans afoot as there is more space that can be creatively developed. Some parking on site is available and more nearby so it is a perfect addition to our town.
If you would like more information please email info@levenuerye.com.
Photos: Whats-on-Magazine