Press kit
For journalists writing about the UK wine scene.
Sommly is the UK's dedicated wine event discovery platform. Below: the facts, the angles, and a contact.
In one paragraph
Sommly is the UK's first dedicated wine event discovery platform. It's a single home for the tastings, masterclasses, supper clubs, courses and wine fairs run by independent bottle shops, importers, and educators. Founded in 2026 by Essex-based software developer and WSET Level 1 student Dan Ives, it currently lists 1,339 upcoming events across 167 UK cities from 303 verified independent organisers.
Sommly's free Sommly Learn product, launching alongside the marketplace, pairs syllabus-aligned WSET study guides with a spaced-repetition flashcard engine, making it one of the few free, non-American resources for UK wine students.
Numbers, cite-ready
As of 21 Aug 2026
Live events
1,339
Across the next 12 months.
UK cities
167
With at least one upcoming event.
Independent organisers
303
Wine bars, bottle shops, importers, schools.
Venues
527
Active locations across the UK.
Most-tagged theme
French
247 events use this tag.
New this week
132
Events added in the last seven days.
More breakdowns live at the UK Wine Events Index, which refreshes whenever an event is added or updated.
The founder
Dan Ives, founder
Dan Ives is a software developer based in Essex (near Colchester) and a WSET Level 1 student, not a wine trade professional. He founded Sommly after spending too many weekends scrolling Instagram trying to work out what wine events were actually happening near him. He builds the platform solo, in the gaps around a day job, with a particular focus on the long tail of independent wine venues outside London that struggle for visibility against the major ticketing platforms.
Available to comment as a platform operator and as an outsider-turned-student on: why a non-industry developer ended up building wine infrastructure, the economics of small-venue ticketing (Sommly takes a deliberately low ~2% platform fee, much lower than Eventbrite's typical 5–8%), and how spaced repetition changes the way people learn wine. Not positioned as a sommelier, critic, or trade expert.
Story angles
Pitched by the founder
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01
Mapping the UK's independent wine scene
Sommly's database now covers 1,339 upcoming events across 167 UK cities and 303 independent organisers. The data is imperfect, a snapshot rather than a census, but it's one of the first attempts to aggregate grassroots UK wine in one place. Story angles: which cities punch above their weight, which neighbourhoods are emerging, and where the big platforms have left gaps.
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02
What people are paying for wine education
Pricing data across UK paid wine events shows a market less premium than perception. There's a long tail of free walk-in tastings at independent bottle shops. The economics of a £15 to £35 evening tasting say a lot about who's actually drinking, and learning, across British cities.
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03
Free WSET, built in the UK
Sommly Learn pairs syllabus-aligned study guides with a spaced-repetition flashcard engine modelled on language-learning tools, for free at WSET Level 1. Most current WSET prep tools are American and paid; Sommly Learn is one of the few UK alternatives. Story angle: how independent platforms are democratising wine education while the major schools still gate it behind £200 courses.
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04
Why small wine venues skip Eventbrite
Sommly takes a ~2% platform fee versus Eventbrite's typical 5–8%, and routes payments through Mollie Connect so organisers receive funds directly rather than through a custodial account. That gap matters more than it looks for a 30-seat tasting making £450 a night. Story angle: the platform economics squeezing independent wine events.
Brand assets
For higher-resolution or alternative formats, email [email protected].
Citation + contact
Use any of this material freely. Suggested citation: Sommly Press Kit, August 2026.
For interviews, custom data cuts, regional breakdowns, partnership announcements, or anything not covered above, email [email protected]. Founder typically responds within a working day.