Wandering around Glasgow--and in dire need of adult beverages for the birthday party we were going…read moreto--we were very grateful to have stumbled across this fantastic little place. The man behind the counter (whose name eludes me) was friendly, super informative, and just a great guy to chat with. He handled all our questions with patience because he understood what an overwhelming selection they had. Seriously, how does such a tiny shop have such a killer variety of beers? They didn't just have a wall of IPA's and call it a day (like many "craft beer" places I'd been to). They had a selection to cover every single taste profile you could think of and some that had never even occurred to you. We left with a box of booze, literally, and made quite the splash at the birthday. It was a wonderful time had by all because this Wee shop was our ace up the sleeve. Next time I'm in Glasgow I'm going back to this killer place.

Wow, another caged wine shop? I only just visited my first one (GG Brothers on Argyle Street) and…read morenow I've visited a second one in a matter of weeks! What's a caged wine shop? Essentially, you walk into the shop and you're in a cage with all the booze on the other side. Clearly it's to stop you being able to steal anything and is a slightly surreal feeling when you're not used to it. Weaver Wines is a bit more classy in that you're mostly behind glass instead of a cage but the sensation is the same. I was after a couple of bottles of wine, and a wee treat for myself. Being in a glass box means it can be hard to tell the shop assistant exactly what you want (especially when you don't speak Spanish) but we got there eventually. They sell Drygate Apple Ale so that was clearly what I was going to get for myself (if there's a better beer out there, I don't want to know about it). You can pay by card although there's a 50p fee which isn't something you tend to encounter much these days. Along this street, your other options for booze are mostly supermarkets (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Co-Op) although there is an Oddbins on Skirving Street. Prices here seemed pretty reasonable to me.

I actually quite like Oddbins, actually. I mean, it's never going to be a destination wine shop for…read moreme but if I'm in the area, I would definitely go here to get a bottle of wine over the nearby supermarket, that's for sure. This Oddbins is on the fabulous Skirving Street and generally has a pretty good range for whatever you're looking for. We didn't want anything specific, just some "weekend alcohol" - I went for wine whereas Graeme had a look around the beer section. At the moment they have quite a few January offers and I was happy with their offerings around the £5 mark per bottle. I'm not sure what beers Graeme got but they looked like hipster craft ones so he seemed happy. Service is nice and friendly, and I'm sure if you needed help they could give it. On this occasion I was happy just to pick something and give it a shot but if it was a special occasion or a gift I'd definitely ask for help. They'll wrap your wine up nicely in paper too, which I always like as it makes me feel that bit more fancy.

Alas, Oddbins. For a while I loved you, cherished you, and now... You're a shadow of your former…read moreself. Woe is me. Seriously, Oddbins used to be GREAT. AMAZING, EXCELLENT. All of those things, and more. It wasn't cheap (well, it was sometimes, but not usually), but I liked it. What happened? Oddbin's parent company more or less went to the wall, and all the stores shut with the exception of the most profitable ones who were taken over by new owners. The new owners appear intent on driving this place into the ground. £9.49 for a bottle of (yuck) Blossom Hill? Check. £9.99 for a bottle of Isla Negra? Check. Not only have this new mob stocked up on the most bland, generic, pointless examples of mass-market crap to ever blight the face of the earth, but they have then decided to overprice them to oblivion. Gone are the days of picking up a cheeky Bordeaux, loving it, popping in the next week to find that;" there's no more, but how about this one instead?!" Gone are the days of Schneider Weisse Adventinus (even better at 4 for £8) or a cheeky case of Schofferhofer Hefe. Gone are the days of those wee orange spicy thai ricecakes in a green paper bag that were horrendously overpriced. Even gone are the days of asking the staff for recommendations. Imagine - "what would go with the roast I'm cooking tonight, the JP Chenet or the Jacobs Creek" - two years ago you'd have been laughed out of the place! Also gone is the excitement of walking in, not quite expecting what you were going to come out with - THAT was the magic of Oddbins. The new owners have ripped the heart of of this place. Generic crap like Carling (who deliberately drinks this?!), white Zinfandel and Bells whisky. I feel sorry for the workers, It's a shadow of its former self and it will NOT survive lest it's brought back to its former glories post-haste. SHAWLANDS DOES NOT NEED ANOTHER HADDOWS/THRESHERS (why do you think they all closed?) Shawlands needs its old Oddbins back. Run well, it would thrive.