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.

A small but serviceable shop right on the main street in Stratford near the Shakespeare housee…read more What they lack in selection, they make up for in service. I dashed in right before closing, and the proprietor never even blinked. They were sampling Old Pulteney scotch that day (on sale too), and he encouraged me to take a taste. It wasn't the greatest scotch, but the price was right, so I bought a bottle. I also went home with a couple of pint bottles of local and regional beers (their selection is probably good, but how would I know? they had a few dozen, anyway), including a nettle beer. I know for a fact that we left several minutes past closing, and the gentleman never rushed us or even hinted at the time.

We came across this amazing wine shop by chance. Such a wonderful selection of wine in such a small…read moreshop. Something for every budget. The best thing about the shop was the product knowledge of the owner, very helpful in matching wine with food. We ended up with more wine than we could carry, so they delivered the wine to our guest house that evening at no extra charge.

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!

Although it may look like a fairly bog standard off licence from the outside, don't let appearances…read morefool you. Laithwaites is actually an extremely well stocked, very nice wine shop, not dissimilar to chains such as Majestic Wine Warehouse. The inside is very professional, with wines grouped appropriately, making whatever you're looking for specifically very easy to find. If you're not entirely sure what you're looking for, then fear not, because their friendly, approachable staff clearly know what they're doing and can advise you what wine to serve with certain food. The prices are competitive with the likes of Majestic, although if you're looking for a sub £5 bottle just to give to an acquaintance or what have you, you may be better suited going to a supermarket such as Tesco. Highly recommended.

We popped in here one Friday night for some wine and it was empty! This was good and bad because we…read moregot personal chatty service but the staff kind of watched our every move which was quite off-putting. They also kept asking if we neede help when we just wanted to look round. They have a good variety of wines of all sorts and prices. The cheapest bottles were about 6 quid and this was in the sale so it is not for you if you buy cheap wine! Prices went up as high as £20 a bottle and they also had a selection of champagne and sparkling wines. We treated ourselves to 4 bottles which were very nice. I doubt we'll use this shop much but it is handy if you've been in the Wetherspoons nearby plus there is parking outside.

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.

Threshers wine shop is situated on the busy Wellingborough Road, so the parking is limited to a few…read morebays or the side streets. The shop is packed with wines from all around the globe, and there are always offers on like 3 for £10, they also stock a range of beers and lagers as well as spirts and cigarettes. The staff are knowledgable and will always help with recommendations and they sometime have wine tasting. There are bottles of the most popular wines in the fridge as well which is handy for those emergency booze trips.

What an amazing shop! I will never think of whisky the same way again…read more In fact I like whisky now and really want to go back to buy a fancy bottle, just to keep in the house and have a drop when we deserve it. You know, like grown ups do! Seriously, take a look at this place, they know their stuff and whether you want to purchase for yourself, for a party or for a present for someone who has everything. Suits all budgets too!

This a lovely small independent whisky retailer with products that are high end and from all over…read morethe Globe. Located just inside the Great Western Arcade it's worth a visit when you can, even just to browse the products. They have many famous brands to offer, so why not let the nice assistant tell you all they know about the whisky distilleries? They are also part of the UK premier and private whisky club, offering a FREE membership with every purchase. They know their products, although perhaps be a bit careful not to over spend in here as the Whisky varieties are not cheap at all. They would make the perfect gift if you can find one at a reasonable price.

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.