01
Wines by the bottle
About 240 wines on the shelves, mostly from small growers, arranged by how they taste and not by which country they come from. From under £10 to something for an anniversary.
From £9.50 a bottle, most between £12 and £20.
Wine shop · Monnow Street, Monmouth
We have tasted all of it.
About 240 wines and a vaulted cellar under the shop. Tell us what you are cooking and what you normally like, and we will find you three bottles.
- We have tasted all of itAsk either of us about any bottle
- Ten per cent off a caseTwelve bottles, mixed however you like
- Free delivery round MonmouthOn any case, within ten miles
- Challenge 25We ask for ID, at the till and the door
What we do
Six things a wine shop should do.
02
Mixed cases
Twelve bottles mixed exactly as you like, or our mix at your budget, at ten per cent off the shelf price, and delivered free within ten miles of Monmouth.
Ten per cent off any twelve.
03
Tastings
Six wines, some bread and cheese, and no spitting unless you want to. The first Friday of each month, at a long table in the vaulted cellar under the shop.
£22 a person, taken off a case bought on the night.
04
Gifts
A bottle wrapped in brown paper with a claret ribbon, a wooden box, or a voucher, chosen for the person and not by the price. We post within the UK, with an age check.
Wrapping is free.
05
Weddings and events
Wine for a wedding or party, on sale or return, with a tasting to choose it and glasses on free loan. We work out how much you need, and take back what you do not.
From ten per cent off, sale or return.
06
Local delivery
We deliver cases ourselves on Tuesdays and Fridays, within ten miles of Monmouth for free, and further into Monmouthshire and the Wye Valley for a small charge.
Free on a case within ten miles.
The case
Twelve bottles, ten per cent off.
A case is the cheapest way to buy good wine. Any twelve qualify, in any mix. Tell us your budget and what you like, and Anwen will write you one with a note on every bottle.
Free delivery within ten miles of Monmouth, and we will carry it in.
Build a caseHow we work
Four things we hold to.
We will open things
There is always a bottle open on the counter on a Saturday. If you are stuck between two, you can taste before you buy, in a small glass, as you would expect.
Nothing here is a bargain with a story
We do not do half-price offers on prices that were never real. A bottle at £14 here tastes like a £14 bottle, and that is often rather good.
Bring us the dish
Tell us what you are cooking and what you normally like, and we will suggest three bottles at your budget. The best food match is the wine you want to drink.
Sold responsibly
Challenge 25 at the counter and on the doorstep. We will not sell to anyone who is under 18 or who has had enough, and we mean that. Drink responsibly.
- 2009the year Hywel took on the shop and its cellar
- 240 wineson the shelves, every one tasted by one of us
- 12 bottlesin a case, mixed however you like, ten per cent off
- 25we ask for ID if you look under it: Challenge 25
The cellar
Fourteen seats, six wines, first Fridays.
At a long table in the cellar under the shop, for £22, with bread and cheese. The theme changes every month, and it is aimed at people who like wine, not people who like talking about it. Over 18s only, and please do not drive home.
The next three tastingsCustomers
What people say at the till.
I went in with a recipe for lamb on my phone and £20. Hywel gave me a choice of three, told me why, and did not make me feel stupid about any of it. We went back the next week for the Rhône.
I asked Anwen to write me a case for £150 that was not all Malbec. Each bottle came with a little handwritten note. We ate better all month because of it, just so we could use the notes.
Fourteen strangers at a table in a cellar, by the third wine we were all arguing cheerfully about Riesling. It is the most fun you can have on a Friday in Monmouth with your coat on.
Questions at the counter
What should I drink with dinner?
Try the match tool with your dish and your budget. Then come in, and we will argue with it.
How does the case discount work?
Ten per cent off any twelve bottles, mixed however you like. The case builder gives you a quick price.
Do you deliver?
Free on a case within ten miles of Monmouth, on Tuesdays and Fridays. An adult must take it in, and we may ask for ID.
What is Challenge 25?
If you look under 25, we ask for photo ID, in the shop and on delivery. It is illegal to sell alcohol to anyone under 18, or to buy it for them.
What about a tasting?
The first Friday of each month in the cellar: six wines, bread and cheese, £22, and you can take that off a case bought on the night.
Do you stock Welsh wine?
Yes, a small shelf, including a sparkling from a vineyard within twelve miles of the shop. It is not cheap to make, and we think it is worth trying.
Tell us the dish. We will find three bottles.
Or build a mixed case and take ten per cent off, delivered free within ten miles of Monmouth. Over 18s only; we operate Challenge 25. Please drink responsibly.