The owner of a brand-new prosecco bar in Marlow says the supermarket stuff most Brits are used to is ‘too sweet’ and ‘rubbish’ – and is hoping to educate locals on the true versatility of the popular drink.

Kristyna Weston was born in a little village in Czechoslovakia in the 1980s – and, from a very young age, was determined “not to be stuck” in the constraints of rural life and the state’s tightly controlled communist regime.

It was that desire for escape that spurred her to take Italian language classes at 11-years-old, aware that “language opens doors for you”, and which, in turn, was the beginning of a life-long love affair with the country’s most famous sparkling wine – though not until she was of drinking age, of course.

Kristyna studied design in Verona in her late teens and twenties and was won over by the piazzas, the sun-soaked Mediterranean culture and – above all else – the high-grade tipples.

The 36-year-old continued to indulge in Italy’s fine wines after moving back to Prague, but when she fell in love with an English man and moved to the UK earlier this year, she was caught off guard by her new home’s appreciation (or lack thereof) of the “diversity and complexity” of her favourite drink.

(Image: Kristyna Weston)

It was this awakening that spurred her to use the move as a vehicle for a career change – pivoting from her background in B2B to entrepreneurship and working with Italian suppliers to import the true taste of prosecco to British shores.

The couple moved to Windsor earlier this year, but after a few trips to Marlow (and a new membership at the town’s famous rowing club), Kristyna decided that this was the place to launch her fledgling business – in the “beautiful Italian-style courtyard” of Liston Court, just off the high street.

La Dolce Bolla opened in mid-July and is off to a roaring start, according to Kristyna, who says its multi-use as a bar (also serving a range of other wines and beers), gift shop and to-let events space, has been readily welcomed by locals – and are laying the groundwork for the brand’s expansion to other sites down the line.

The interior of the new bar (Image: Kristyna Weston)

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“When I lived in Prague, there was a prosecco bar in my building, and it would be my go-to for gifts and to bring to dinner with family or friends – but you don’t have that here.

“There is so much good quality food and drink in the UK, but the prosecco you buy at supermarkets is just rubbish. It’s full of sugar and a completely different taste from the higher-quality range.

“Good prosecco just tastes better – when I spoke to Italian wholesalers about it, they said they wanted to sell in the UK but there wasn’t the market for it. There are so many different varieties but what you can buy over here is just full of sugar and bubbles. There’s no complexity.”

(Image: Kristyna Weston)

Already, customers claiming not to enjoy prosecco have been tempted and won over by Kristyna’s wide range and expert eye – and, as well as planning a calendar full of autumn and winter wine tastings and get-togethers, she’s still adapting to (and enjoying) the change of pace brought by Buckinghamshire life.

“I find some of the cultural changes quite funny – you don’t have to pay for parking in Czechoslovakia so that’s been an annoying surprise! But we complain about the weather about as much as British people, and we have quite a similar sense of humour.

“Life is a bit slower here, but Marlow is amazing and the people are so lovely. They've made me feel like a part of the town already. I’m just excited for what’s to come.”