The Cardiff Wine Passport – a unique scheme aimed at promoting independent hospitality businesses in the heart of Cardiff – is set to return later this month.

Developed by local hospitality PR consultant Jane Cook, the Cardiff Wine Passport invites people to explore Cardiff’s vibrant independent bar & restaurant scene by swapping passport stamps for handpicked glasses of wine over a period of six weeks.

Since its launch in summer 2022, the Cardiff Wine Passport has generated more than £30,000 in revenue for local and exclusively independent restaurants and bars in the city centre – and has encouraged hundreds of people to try out venues they had never visited before.

How Does The Cardiff Wine Passport Work?

The 2024 Cardiff Wine Passport will be valid Sunday – Thursday only, from 25th February until the 7th April. Each one entitles the holder to six glasses of wine from their own choice of ten brilliant city centre venues – Bar 44, Asador 44, Parallel, Bacareto, Daffodil, Curado Bar, Vermut, The Dead Canary, Nighthawks and Lab 22.

There are a variety of red, white and orange wines included on this edition of the passport – and even a couple of wine cocktails created exclusively by The Dead Canary for passport holders to enjoy.

Each venue has also selected food pairings that would match perfectly, meaning you could use the passport to create your own ‘tapas tour’ of the city centre; for instance, start with a glass of Kosovan Riesling and some leek & Caerphilly cheese croquettes at Parallel, move onto a glass of orange wine and a plate of tomato bread at Nighthawks, and finish your evening with a glass of Rioja and a plate of grilled mackerel with XO sauce, daikon radish, and charcoal mayonnaise at Asador 44.

The 2024 Cardiff Wine Passport costs £26 and will go on sale later this month. Based on previous demand, it’s expected to sell out quickly; you can sign up for exclusive access to the on-sale link at www.cardiffwinepassport.co.uk.

Supporting Independent Hospitality Businesses

Independent businesses often face challenges in competing with larger chains – especially in the current economic climate where closures are sadly becoming more and more common. The Cardiff Wine Passport aims to level the playing field and bring more visibility to these indie venues and has become a catalyst for increased footfall and revenue. What’s more, the total revenue impact of the scheme is likely to be much higher than reported; most passport holders opt to add additional food pairings and bar snacks at each spot as they go about collecting their passport stamps.

FOR Cardiff initially helped Cardiff Wine Passport to launch as a pilot with a grant from its City Ambition Fund, and have joined again as official sponsors for the scheme in 2024.

Carolyn Brownell, Executive Director (Interim) at FOR Cardiff explained, “We are pleased to continue to support the Cardiff Wine Passport in 2024 through our City Ambition Fund. This innovative project has directly returned tens of thousands of pounds into independent hospitality business in Cardiff and the mounting pressures on the sector mean that this year it is more important than ever to support these businesses.”

To learn more about the Cardiff Wine Passport scheme and to purchase a passport, visit www.cardiffwinepassport.co.uk.