At Tiny Wine, we’ve always believed that great wine shouldn’t be locked behind a cork and an £80 price tag. That’s why we set out to challenge convention with our Tiny Wine Tubes, making fine wine accessible in smaller, more affordable servings. But how does a tube-aged wine really compare to the original bottle? To find out, we visited Heath Ball, the acclaimed publican behind The Red Lion and Sun in London, and asked him to do a side-by-side tasting.
The wine in question was a 2005 Château Tapon Saint-Émilion, a classic Right Bank Bordeaux showing nice evolution. We opened a full-sized bottle that morning and poured a glass for Heath. “Spicy... quite earthy. 2005 — pretty good vintage. Yeah, tasting well,” he said, confirming the wine’s quality.
Then came the test. We poured the same wine, but this time from a Tiny Wine Tube that had been fractionalised and sealed six months earlier. Heath was intrigued. “Six months?” he asked, surprised. After tasting it, he added, “I really can’t tell the difference.” In fact, he went further, saying, “I think it’s better... slightly more open.”
That response means everything. It shows that our mission to democratise fine wine isn’t just convenient, it’s credible. Our tubes preserve the integrity, character, and elegance of the original bottle. Heath summed it up perfectly when he said, “Retail: £80 bottle. But you know, we’re putting it into fractionalised tubes… making it available for a fraction of the price.”
Tiny Wine is about more than convenience. It’s about discovery, joy, and giving more people access to exceptional wine. Whether you want to try something new, enjoy a glass at home, or sample a fine vintage without committing to the whole bottle, we’ve made it possible.
As Heath raised his glass, his final words captured our vision: “It’s all about getting fine wine in front of people — smaller amounts. A glass of wine at home.”
Cheers to that.