New cheese and wine bar Piace opens in Southampton

Piace Cheese and Wine Bar in London Road, created by Jemma Gammon, welcomed customers for the first time last Friday.

A self-professed lover of both wine and cheese, Jemma decided to take the plunge and launch her own business.

The 31-year-old swapped her careers in retail and admin to fulfil her dream.

Jemma outside Piace (Image: Newsquest)

Jemma said: “The idea for Piace came around in mid-April of this year, so it was a quick turnaround of about three months.

“This is something I wanted to do, I wanted to start my own business.

“I like cheese and I like wine and that’s my main inspiration for the business, so I thought ‘let’s do it.’”

She added: “I chose London Road in particular to add something new to the area.

“There are really good food options in this road anyway, but I wanted to introduce something different.

“Southampton has a great selection of different restaurants and bars, but this is something that adds to the offering in the city.

“There are so many places here already, I don’t think the city is missing anything, but rather, I am adding to it.

“I’m not filling a gap.”

Inside Piace (Image: Newsquest)

Despite only being open for less than a week, Jemma has already received a positive response to the bar – and its impressive offering.

“I am a massive fan of cheese, so I chose what I liked and what I thought other people would like.

“I did a lot of market research too.

“I also looked through a wine booklet and taste-tested a selection. We have a large selection.

“We have 12 white wines and 12 reds, and four rosé wines. There are sparkling and alcohol-free options.

“We have 12 types of cheese on our list, and five different meats.”

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Cheese at Piace (Image: Newsquest)

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She said: “The response has been really good so far.

“When I’m outside I can hear people say ‘that’s the place I was telling you about’ as they walk past.

“People have said they are really looking forward to coming round.

“This is different to everything I’ve ever done before. I have tried to get as much experience as possible.”

Piace is open Tuesday to Thursday from 12pm to 9pm and 12pm to 10pm on Friday and Saturday.