A new wine shop and tasting room has opened its doors to the public today.

John Dory in Sandgate is a joint venture from the team behind Space Bar and Kitchen in Folkestone and a pair of local wine experts, Zeren Wilson and Louisa Walls.

The shop stocks a range of more than 150 wines, as well as offering food boards featuring tinned fish and charcuterie served with locally-baked bread from the Docker bakery.

It occupies the building on Sandgate High Street which was formerly home to the Old English Pine shop.

The new shop also offers a selection of around 20 wines by the glass, and customers can get free local delivery for bottles they decide to buy.

Although the shop does stock some rare and lesser-known wines imported from around the world, the team at John Dory are keen to offer plenty of more affordable bottles which will give people the chance to experiment with regions and styles that may not be found in the supermarket.

Mr Wilson works as a wine consultant and has helped numerous restaurants and bars in Kent and beyond draw up their wine lists.

"We've put together a lovely list of wines, mainly driven by wines we love," he said.

"We got a really vibrant food and restaurant culture now in Folkestone. It has been touted as a music town, but I think it's more of a food town and there's lots more to come.

"I've been in the wine trade for more than 15 years, I've worked in restaurants, I've sold wine to restaurants, we want people to explore different things.

"We've got world class wines from all over the world at the top end, but also plenty from £10 and upwards.

"Wine can be intimidating, it is a big subject, but it's just about tasting, exploring, and discovering what you like."

Ms Walls, who is originally from the area and recently returned from two years living among the vines of Provence, says the new venture is the realisation of a long-held dream.

"To be opening a wine shop in my hometown and with such a great team of people is really more than I could ever have imagined," she said.

"The important thing for me is to be able to share fantastic wines at every price point, things that can't be found at the supermarket.

"Rather than trying to tick boxes from a geographical point of view, we have made sure that from a style point of view we are ticking all of the boxes, from light and fresh white wines all the way through to full-bodied, really punchy reds.

"We are making sure there's plenty style-wise and price-wise for people to choose from."