DRINKING wine would probably feature on many people's list of favoured pastimes, but Stuart Rothwell has taken his hobby to a whole new level.

Stuart has opened up The Vineyard in Ramsbottom, and through the wine shop, he wants to put a stop to the snobbery that often surrounds fine wines, and make them accessible to everyone.

It's quite a departure for somebody who once ran a road haulage company, but the transition has been gradual.

Stuart, 53, said: "I got interested in wine years ago, when I helped out every Saturday at the wine shop that used to be part of Ramsons restaurant in Ramsbottom - my wife ran the deli there in the 1990s.

"I started as just a hobby, but my interest in it grew and grew. I used to have my own transport business which I built up in Bury, but about eight years ago a southern company made me a takeover offer.

"It was just good timing really, because I fancied a change of direction, and a friend of mine had invested in a wine shop and asked me to run it. So I sold my business and took him up on the offer."

Stuart, from Nuttall Avenue in Ramsbottom, ran the wine shop in Brandlesholme until earlier this year, when the land was sold.

There his knowledge of wine went from that of keen amateur to qualified expert, having completed a two-year Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) course at Preston College - complete with blindfolded wine tasting.

The step to running his own shop was almost fortuitous. Stuart said: "Many regular customers were sorry the Brandlesholme shop was closing, and one of them, Mark Taylor, asked me if I'd want to go into business, as he is in banking and would deal with the finances.

"Then a fellow wine enthusiast Paul Hardman, who I did my WSET course with, offered to come on board, and we went from there."

Stuart, Mark, from Bury, and Paul, from Ramsbottom, found their premises in Square Street, and the shop opened on July 7, after joiner Paul had completely re-fitted it.

Stuart is there six days a week, and he is joined by his business partners at weekends.

The shop sells wine from almost every producing country, primarily from smaller, independent vineyards.

Stuart said: "We've aimed to have quite eclectic stock but if people have specific requests, we can order them in to arrive with a few days."