27-03-2025
The key to making the most of independent wine shops
Dickens would probably have approved of a wine merchant called Philglas & Swiggot, a name that looks genteel but becomes rakish when said out loud. The first Philglas & Swiggot shop opened in Battersea in the early '90s. Two more, also in the capital, followed, but last month, the merchant, now owned by the Irish family business O'Briens Wine, announced its closure: 'challenging trading conditions and the added complexities of Brexit have made it impossible for us to continue'.
The majority of drinkers do most, if not all, their wine shopping at the supermarket, with a chunk of custom also going to The Wine Society, Majestic and online retailers like Laithwaites, Virgin and Naked. But the country's 1,000 or so independent shops, run by about 750 operators, add important filaments of wisdom and variety to the tapestry and deserve a bit of light shining in their direction.
I don't come at this from a dogmatic 'small is good, big is bad' perspective. Speaking personally, I've had poor (as well as good) experiences in small wine shops: wines that were distinctly average considering the price and service, that bordered on a sneer, when I mentioned my budget or a desire for a certain type of wine.
'Yes,' I have felt like saying, 'I do appreciate your enthusiasm for flor-aged Jura white and it's not that I don't want to 'try something different', it's that I am buying a present for someone who really loves the sharp freshness of sauvignon blanc.'
But, hey, everyone has a bad day. Far more often, I've been greeted with incredible courtesy and made to feel welcome however long I procrastinated over picking one, single, inexpensive bottle. It is a real joy to browse a small shop in the amiable presence of someone who knows what flavours dance inside each bottle, who can share stories and insights, and guide me towards the wines that might suit my own taste. Most people in wine shops are there because they really love it, and are desperate to share their expertise, and send you away with a wine you will love.
The key to making the most of independent wine merchants lies in understanding what exactly each has to offer and heading for that with precision. A few generalisations: it's now pretty hard for independents to compete with supermarkets under £10, though there are occasional but magnificent exceptions. The advantage a smaller merchant does have, though, is not being tied to higher-volume producers: they can truffle out wines from smaller outfits.
They can also buy parcels of wine they know will suit their customers. A good example of this is Haynes, Hanson & Clark who are brilliant at good-value clarets that cost £15 to £28.
For example, Visintini Pinot Grigio Ramato 2023, Friuli Colli Orientali, Italy (13.5%, Lea & Sandeman, £17.95), is a dry rosé, essentially, made from Pinot Grigio, that tastes of nectarine, prickly pear and galangal.
More specifically, different merchants specialise in different places, or price ranges, or styles: Lea & Sandeman has an unmatched range of grower/small producer Champagne; The Good Wine Shop has a strong South African range. Some buyers will have a taste that is aligned with yours: find that shop and you find an unending source of good wine.
The country's independents are disproportionately clustered in London – home to about one quarter of the total. Still, as Graham Holter, editor and publisher of The Wine Merchant magazine, points out, with an offer that is often, 'eclectic and adventurous… really they should be seen as a national treasure'.
