I own NIKO in Preston and we are the biggest importers of Serbian wine in the UK
This Preston wine bar is not only the biggest importer of Serbian wine in the county but they are trying to change the British culture of drinking wine.
Nikola Salipur came to Preston from Belgrade five years ago but has been working in the wine business since 2011.
When he arrived in Lancashire, Nikola only had a licence to supply businesses and restaurants with the wines he had brought over from Serbia.
Following Covid, he decided to start selling products directly to customers before deciding to open NIKO, a bar that offers both exotic wines and craft beers located on Guildhall Street in Preston.
00:00So, could you just give me a bit of background about the business, just how do they come to be and what was the original idea behind the wine bar?
00:09I think it's, I've always been in the wine business since 2011 in Belgrade.
00:17Then once I moved in here, I decided to open the wine bar and that included craft beer as well.
00:26Because my first business was importing the craft beers in the country.
00:31I've always been into the wine, but when I moved to England, it was five years ago, I saw so many people enjoying craft beers.
00:41So, I was like, you know what, I'll try to bring some craft beers over and then try to wholesale them, support the businesses.
00:52Then COVID happened and then at the time I only had a license to supply businesses.
01:00But because all businesses have been closed down, I was like, okay, what can I do now?
01:06Then I just started selling the craft beers directly to the people.
01:12Then, yeah, that went well.
01:14And then I decided to open the, it's a wine bar, but also it's having the craft beer as well.
01:23Two years after I opened Nico Bar, I import the first winery to the UK.
01:32Then just flying around the country, try to explain about the Serbian wine.
01:37Because we had a long history of producing the wine and then that was two years ago.
01:45That one import went well.
01:47Obviously having a bar helped me promote everything and just give people opportunity to try something different, try different wines.
01:56And then now at the moment we work with 11 wineries, biggest importer of the Serbian wine in the UK.
02:03And our first business are wholesale.
02:05So we supply the restaurants all over the country.
02:08So would you say Serbian wine is a bit of a hidden gem when it comes to,
02:13because I think a lot of people associate certain wines with certain countries, but maybe Serbia doesn't come up on that list.
02:19Do you think you've kind of found like a unique business in that sense?
02:23Yeah, I think it's a unique, it's a two sides.
02:27It's the first thing of Serbia been producing the wine as long as France.
02:32The most common question even we had yesterday, the wife had saying,
02:36Oh, I didn't know Serbia produced the wine.
02:38Yes, we've been producing for ages and ages.
02:41Then it's a two side.
02:43One side, okay, it's something unique, something what no one else do.
02:47It'll be easy.
02:48You go there and then you're going to have some exotic wines from Serbia.
02:53Some of the people, even they don't know where is Serbia, mixing with the Syria, etc, etc.
02:57But another side, it's saying Serbian wine.
03:01Hmm, I'm not sure.
03:03I never tried before.
03:04Now me, how trying to convince them to just try the wines.
03:10And what I always saying, once they try Serbian wines,
03:16the face they making, the feedback we getting from these wines, it's just incredible.
03:22It just make you push more, push harder.
03:24It's just a great feedback.
03:26Definitely.
03:27Yeah, so I saw the bar through TikTok in your series, the kind of fine dining on a budget.
03:33Where did that idea come from?
03:34And is that a case of kind of trying to get your name out there a little bit more?
03:39Honestly, I think that was just the one day I got the Sam.
03:45I don't know if he...
03:47Sam, you want to come to introduce yourself?
03:49So Sam, he working for me for last one year.
03:53He's a freelancer.
03:5421 years.
03:55No, for one year.
03:56No, 21.
03:58You are only 22.
04:01So one day we doing some work, always trying to be unique, doing some design,
04:06something what is interesting, how we can promote the Serbian wines in best possible way.
04:12And then he mentioned to me saying,
04:15Oh, Nico, have you tried this sardines?
04:17When you put a napkin in, put on fire.
04:20And I was like, you know what?
04:21I saw that, but I haven't tried it.
04:22But like, you know what?
04:23I will go to buy some.
04:25I will try it.
04:26So he go to buy some sardines.
04:28And I was like, you know what?
04:30Let's put on the video.
04:32So I just put the camera on.
04:33We put on the video.
04:34I was like, you know what?
04:35All this modern world and everything.
04:38You know, put on TikTok.
04:39Social media.
04:40It's interesting.
04:41We don't want other people about wine and all that stuff.
04:44Let's do something interesting.
04:45Oops.
04:46Sorry.
04:47Yeah.
04:48And we did that video.
04:50Then I was like, you know what?
04:52I think this will pair very well with this wine.
04:57So we took one of our wines.
04:59Paired with that.
05:00And it paired very well.
05:03It was off the cuff.
05:04Yeah.
05:05To begin with.
05:06It was just there.
05:08It's all that.
05:09And then I think after that, the video after video.
05:12It's all about people can enjoy within the budget at home or outside.
05:18Whenever.
05:19In the park.
05:20Do not need to spend lots of money.
05:22And still feel these fine dining moments.
05:25And pairing with a good wine.
05:27So, you know, how many people can afford to go every day to a fine dining restaurant.
05:32And spend a fortune.
05:34I was like, you know what?
05:35If you're at home, you don't need to cook.
05:37You can just put all together.
05:38Have a good wine.
05:39And still have a good moment.
05:40Have a good moment.
05:41Would you also say there was like that educational element.
05:43Like what wines pair well with certain foods as well.
05:46Because I was kind of getting that impression from the video.
05:48I think.
05:50In actual honesty.
05:51It was an idea that was.
05:54We just came up with.
05:55And kind of.
05:58And just kind of resonated, I guess.
06:02But on reflection.
06:03I think, yeah.
06:04It's about.
06:06It's about educating people about what pairs with what.
06:08It's about promoting the wines that Nico imports.
06:12And sort of doing that in a fun, engaging way.
06:15That people might quite like to watch.
06:18And also.
06:19I think one of the problems.
06:20Not just with Serbian wine.
06:22But with wine generally.
06:23Is that people think it's like a.
06:25A thing to be scared of.
06:26A thing that you can't quite touch.
06:28Not quite sure what to do with it.
06:30And I guess we're just trying to show that.
06:32Alright, we call it fine dining.
06:33But really it's just a few ingredients that we throw together on a plate.
06:36And it's just something not to be scared of.
06:38Something that you can engage with.
06:40And that does pay off.
06:41You know, you can have like an enjoyable moment.
