A wine merchant is toasting success after scooping a prestigious award.

Barrica Wines, which is based in the food hall at Huntley’s farm shop, Samlesbury, has been named UK Independent Wine Retailer of the Year.

The firm, which was founded less than two years ago, was shortlisted alongside two other wine retailers in the Drinks Retailing Awards, held at The Dorchester Hotel, London, last week.

Speaking after winning the coveted title, owner Jane Cuthbertson said she was living the dream.

The 54-year-old, who has two grandchildren, said: “The last two years have been the busiest of my life. We have worked so hard to build Barrica to what it is today and to have won such a prest-igious national award so soon is quite amazing.”

The category was sponsored by Wines of Argentina and, as part of the award, Mrs Cuthbertson has been invited to spend a week visiting vineyards and attending the Argentina Wine Awards.

She said: “This was meant to be a retirement job and I first began importing wine from Sicily but then it just snowballed and now we are getting new custom-ers all the time.”

Barrica Wines has been -running since March 2008 and enables Mrs Cuthbertson to combine her passion for wine with a retail experience gained from 13 years spent with Booths supermarket.

She is able to tap into vineyards which cannot provide the volumes required for supermarkets and this has seen her stocking more than 700 bottles from across the world, including Portugal, France, Spain, Australia and Lebanon.

In 2009 the firm was a finalist in the ‘Independent Wine Merchant Award’ organised by the New Zealand Wine Growers Association.

Booths, which has its HQ in Longridge, was named UK Multiple Beer Retailer of the Year.