Weddings, Private Events & Group Dining in Wells

The Pressoir is a wine bar, wine shop and restaurant tucked into Heritage Courtyard, a quiet cobbled corner off Sadler Street, a few steps from Wells Cathedral. It's an unusual room for a private event: part bistro, part wine shop, festooned with greenery, and small enough that when you take it over, it's genuinely yours for the evening.

Private hire in Wells

We host private lunches, dinners, drinks receptions and celebrations for groups, with exclusive use of the room available on selected evenings. Because the whole wine shop sits along the walls, your guests can drink anything on the shelves, and David can talk them through it. It's a relaxed, unstuffy setting rather than a formal function room, and it suits people who care more about eating and drinking well than about place cards.

Past events have included wedding parties and rehearsal dinners, milestone birthdays, christenings and wakes, business dinners, book launches and club gatherings, including the Wells Festival of Literature's annual dinner.

Wedding parties and rehearsal dinners

The Pressoir isn't a wedding venue in the marquee-and-hundred-guests sense, and we wouldn't pretend otherwise. What we do well is the evening before and the day after: rehearsal dinners, intimate wedding breakfasts and relaxed post-wedding lunches for smaller parties. If you're marrying at Wells Cathedral, the Bishop's Palace or elsewhere in the city, we're a short walk away, which makes us an easy choice for the surrounding meals.

Food and wine

Everything is cooked by our chef Daniel, who has more than twenty years' cooking rooted in Wells, using seasonal ingredients from local producers. For events we'll usually put together a set menu drawn from our French-inspired kitchen, charcuterie and cheese boards, small plates, croques, and dishes such as bouillabaisse, beef bourguignon or blanquette de légumes. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are straightforward, and we're happy to work around allergies.

David chooses every wine himself, from hand-picked European growers, some exclusive to the UK. For an event he'll suggest pairings to run through the meal, or set up a tasting flight as part of the evening. Our own house wines, with labels hand-painted by David, are available by the glass or the bottle. See the full menu for a sense of the kitchen.

Wine tastings for groups

A guided tasting makes a good centrepiece for a private evening. David talks through a flight of wines, usually themed by region or style, with charcuterie and cheese alongside. These run in the same format as our regular supper clubs and wine tasting evenings, but built around your group.

Gifts and favours

For wedding favours, corporate gifts or thank yous, we can put together mixed cases from the shop. Gift cards and The Pressoir House Collection both travel well, and David's Monthly Wine Selection makes a longer-lasting present than a single bottle.

Enquire

Every event is quoted individually, based on numbers, the evening and what you'd like to eat and drink. Email David at david@thepressoir.com with your date, rough numbers and what you have in mind, and he'll come back to you.

Find us

The Pressoir, 10 Heritage Courtyard, Wells, Somerset BA5 2RR, a short walk from Wells Cathedral and the Market Place.
Open Monday to Thursday 9am to 4.30pm, Friday and Saturday 9am to 7pm. Sunday closed.

First time visiting? Read our guide on how to find The Pressoir in Wells, with directions, parking and buses.

More at The Pressoir

Read more about our wine bar in Wells, our supper clubs and wine tasting evenings, or plan a visit for breakfast or lunch in Wells.