This is a superb wine shop to stop at if you're passing through, it has a very interesting and…read moreinspired selection and the people running the place are very knowledgable and enthusiastic. I'm not a wine connoisseur as I have a preference for beer so spend my time drinking that, but we picked up a few bottles of red from the under £10 section and they were all fantastic. The budget section was large enough for anyone but they also had far more wines which were pricier, and I'm sure of great interest to those who are into their wine. They run wine tasting classes if you're getting into the field, and to my pleasure they also stock a small selection of interesting real ales.

This very old, well-established wine merchant in the centre of Shipston is the spot to go if you…read moreneed to buy wine other than standard, supermarket-pushed brands. The staff are really knowledgeable and pleasant; the selection is outstanding (from budget to top quality fine wines) and its location is very handy with plenty of parking. I've bought a variety of wines from here from cheap and cheerful to exceptional and never been disappointed. Its worth going on a wine tasting visit which is fairly priced, incredibly interesting and of course, you get the chance to sample some lovely wines. The tour of their huge cellars while listening to an overview of their history is truly fascinating. They are looking at doing some fairly major and sympathetic development in their courtyard very soon which will be a joy to experience, I'm sure. Having the opportunity to sit and quaff in such lovely surroundings will be fantastic. Remember, if a wine is stocked by a supermarket, Sheldon's won't carry it! Very highly recommended!

Beware of The Champagne Company and The Drinks Emporium, online wine companies that are taking…read morecustomer money but failing to supply goods or provide refunds. Both have done this to me recently.

I'm so glad this place opened - since it has, I've been there three times, and not just to purchase…read morea bottle from their vast array on offer but to tastings as well. Situated on the Aston Road near the A38 you could be forgiven for missing it, but don't! It would be a mistake not to go. There is parking available outside so there's not even a need to walk. You have to buzz for entry, but once inside you'll see why. There's a large selection of wines, champagnes, spirits and beers on offer. The décor is well laid out and there are seats should you feel the need to sit down just to take it all in! There is a huge amount of champagnes to cater for every taste ranging from Moet to Bollinger to Dom Perignon. Right in the back corner is a separate section for the more exclusive bottles - I suggest you go have a look at least. There's the normal range of spirits but there are loads of more distinct and different brands on offer. I managed to get hold of a flavoured bottle of Absolut that nowhere else had in stock. The staff are brilliant - when I went in looking for a bottle of rum for my boyfriend who loves the stuff, they showed me various ones similar to the ones he has already tried (by the way - the recommendation was amazing and my boyfriend loved it). I've been back several times to buy beer, spirits and wine. The prices are reasonable and similar to those you'd get online - I've always managed to find what I've wanted for a great price. As it has more speciality items, I know I'll be back to further sample the range.

An extremely friendly little shop selling their own brewed beer (the brewery is off-site so don't…read moreexpect a tour), and a wide variety of other bottled beers. It's all sensibly arranged and sensibly priced. There's a very decent selection of both British real ales, and the best of the imports. Belgian and Trappist ales are in abundance, and there's also a few interesting and hard-to-find bottles ranging from Dutch to American. Yes, it turns out that Americans do make decent beer after all. Well, I've found one. The staff (I think it's family-owned and family-run) are very friendly and happy to talk about what they've got, which beers they prefer, which ones they think will suit a particular meal, which ones will be in stock if you come back next week Exactly what you'd want from a beer specialist. There are plenty of ciders as well. They're not really my thing but it looked like a decent selection.

This is a friendly and welcoming shop selling its own beer alongside a good international and…read moreBritish selection. I was dragged in here by the OH, who strongly believes in proper beer and found myself not only interested, but also leaving with some beer of my own. Having been converted to Belgian beer over the years, I was pleased to see a good selection of Trappist and fruit beers, and collected a couple of Krieks and Cassis (cherry and blackcurrent respectively) for afternoons in the garden. The very concept of fruit beer might repel you, but give it a go - you could be surprised. The shop also stocks perrys and ciders, German wheat beer, the best of British small breweries, Czech and Polish beers. If you have stocked up, ask to leave the box to collect by car later.

I just found my new favourite wine shop. Arth Wines is a haven for dipsomaniacs, offering a…read morespectacular range of wines, champagnes, cider and beer (even Yankee brews like Sam Adams are sold here, much to my delight). I spent nearly 20 minutes chatting to owner Richard and hearing the refurbishment plans for his shop, which is conveniently positioned just outside the Penarth Railway station. I even got the grand tour, sidestepping the boxes and dust to get a peek at the back room which will soon house the extensive red wine selection. The prices are really reasonable, especially for a specialty wine shop. Richard explained he cuts out the middleman by buying directly from the vineyards, which allows him to keep his prices down. Don't let the minor state of disarray put you off - Arth Wines is undergoing a transformation, which includes extending the back wall, adding a series of doors to the front of the shop, as well as adding extra cooling sections for the wines and champagnes. In the New Year, Arth Wines will boast several taster machines, which will enable customers to stop in and sample a range of 30 or so wines at any time, a try-before-you buy idea that he says is "the exact opposite to the supermarkets". These dispensing machines keep opened bottles fresh by replacing the air with inert gas nitrogen (keeping the wines away from oxygen prevents oxidation and eventual spoilage). He feels people shouldn't have to spend £100 to try 10 types of wine, many of which may not be suited to their tastes. I want to bring a few bottles of wine back for family and friends in the States, so I'm definitely going to stop by when I have my car. I can tell it's going to be a worthwhile, if expensive, excursion, judging from the spectacular ranges to be had here.

Ballantynes Wine Merchants is a quality family business. It started its life about thirty five…read moreyears ago in the salubrious market town of Cowbridge, (and although it doesn't sound like it, Cowbridge is reputed to be the wealthiest town in South Wales... it's clearly come a long way since very humble beginnings!), but is now located in Pontcanna, the posh end of Cardiff. Having been around for long enough, the second generation of Ballantynes have joined the business. Perhaps this is why they now have an online store as well as the physical outlet? It is often the case when fresh blood comes into the frame, that progressive changes ensue. Not only do they usually possess the technical abilities to achieve this kind of development, but they also have the ambition and drive to want to put their stamp on the business. Ballantynes is the kind of shop that attracts exclusive business. Working with small vintners and supplying the trade with specialty wines, its got exclusivity written all over it. But, as well as catering for the wholesale trade, they wouldn't turn your retail business away... but I'm sure that even their retail clients are apt to buy their wine by the crate!

For lovers of wine, this is a really excellent outlet in the Pontcanna area of Cardiff. They stock…read morea real range of cheaper and top end wines, though you know that you'll always be getting the best within each price range. Ballantynes are quite renowned for their stocking of good French wine, and seemingly specialise in red, but they also sell from many, many other countries, having recently brought over a number of great New Zealand wines. Ranging from a £5.99 bottle of Chardonnay, to a more enticing bottles that will cost you hundreds of pounds each, this is a store that really will have anything for any wine lover. They are also great a giving advice to those people (like me) who like to think that they know more than they really do.

I stumbled into this place walking around Oxford. The staff was very friendly and answered several…read morequestions about whiskeys I had. They have a large selection of whiskeys, both domestic and foreign. They have several sampler sets which make great presents and are super easy to pack so you can get several small bottles and still be under the legal limit when returning state side

We don't know much about whisky, and what we do know is about American whiskey, which many would…read moreargue isn't even close. Since we were in Oxford for a few days before heading to Scotland, and since my sister-in-law works at Lincoln college across the road, the Whisky Shop was our obvious choice to get some information and be prepared for our trip north. I didn't catch the employee's name who helped us, but he was great. He took the time to patiently explain everything, telling us which distillieries to be on the lookout for on our trip, which ones are smoky and peated, which ones we could get outside the UK, what is unique about their own line of whiskys, and more. We ended up with a good sized bottle of The Old Malt Cask, where the company visits the major respected distilleries (ours is from Scapa) and buys a cask or two from them that they age longer and then put into bottles without adding any flavor or coloring. We also got some of the 4 packs of small bottles from Ben Riach, since they had peated and non-peated of relatively the same stuff, giving us a great way to understand the difference of flavor and style, particularly since Ben Riach is a speyside whisky, with inherently different style than the island whiskys we tried. My sister-in-law also went back for us when our train was delayed to buy some additional items, including a medium sized bottle of one of their Whisky Shop labels that we plan to set aside for when our sons are old enough to enjoy it with us. She mentioned that the guy was just as helpful and thorough in dealing with her. In short, if you want to learn a lot about all types of Whisky, this is a great place to stop.

I frequent this store and have found the selection of beers ciders etc excellent. I can also say…read morethat the staff always are very helpful and polite. Definitely worth a visit

I first visited Stirchley Wines when a friend of mine had moved to the area and, having been told…read moregreat things about it, insisted we went to grab some alcohol from here for a night in catching up. I wasn't disappointed. Being a craft beer fan this place is an Aladdin's cave, with bottles from all over the world, in different styles, strengths and flavours. I've been with friends who love beer and those that aren't so keen but everyone managed to find something they like. I live above a BrewDog in the city centre and Stirchley Wines had more variety of BrewDog beers in stock that the bar itself!? I managed to grab the infamous My Name is Vladimir protest beer released to coincide with the Winter Olympics in Sochi. They of course have beers from all the big craft beer breweries as well as some of the smaller lesser known ones. They even have a few beers on tap and the guys there are happy to help if you need some guidance on what beer is best for you. It's a great place to pop into before you go to a curry house, as I have done, as a lot of the places nearby are BYOB. Stirchley Wines as the name suggests also sells a lot of wines and a great variety of spirits that you most likely wouldn't find elsewhere or in very small amounts, so I encourage you to take that trip south of Birmingham into it's suburbs or if you're in the area be sure to pop in, you won't regret it.

How do you turn a boring high street off-licence into something special? For the answer to that…read morequestion you should visit Stirchley Wines....and you don't even have to go there to do that. The beauty of Stirchley Wines is that they will tell you about their interesting new stock on Twitter! They'll post photos and reviews of new wines and beers online and, what's more, they are witty and informative with it. Follow @stirchleywines to find out more. Not only are they the world's first social media savvy off-licence, and not only do they have a really, really, really good and varied selection of beers that you wouldn't find elsewhere - think of it like an independent record shop for booze - but they have also recently teamed up with acclaimed local bakers Loaf to produce a different Beer Bread each week. A message is posted on Twitter when the bread arrives...but you need to be quick. Alongside all the usual other stuff that you'd expect (tobacco, snacks, soft drinks, mixers) there is also a really good whisky selection. Prices aren't the cheapest on some brands, but the selection more than makes up for that. The main reason for supporting this place, though, is that they are keen to support other local businesses in the area, and that's what makes a community. So, next time you want a 4-pack, or a bottle of wine, don't bother with the supermarket - head down here and so what they might have for you. Alternatively, tweet them and ask.

A good selection of Whiskys and beers friendly staff a place to go and see the best off licence…read morearound

I remember the year Kurt Cobain died, I was 14 years old. This year also saw the emergence of a new…read moreoff licence in the area called Michael's Drink Stop. To commemorate Kurt's talent, my friends and I decided to get very drunk. Now given that Kurt Cobain's death was due to drugs, this probably wasn't the best way to remember him, but we carried on regardless. We asked my cousin, who was and still is 4 years older than me to buy us some booze from Michaels' so we could drink it in Shirley Park. He agreed and my memories are quite blurred beyond this point. The last thing I remember was finishing off a bottle of Vodka. My next recollection of events was my cousin carrying me home by piggy back. I was in a very bad way and I never touched drink again. (at least for a few weeks) The off licence still stands to this day and does a magnificent trade; it has never faltered over all the years it has been in business. The selection of drinks is awesome; they have so much it needs to be seen to be believed. They stock a wide range of wines, spirits, liqueurs, beers and ales. Next time you feel like commemorating a dead rock star, come buy your alcohol from Michael's. They cannot be beaten on price or selection.