I was feeling a bit grumpy today for some reason, so decided to take myself off to Selfridges for a spot of retail therapy.  A couple of hours later and a few Pounds lighter (money-wise, sadly), everything was beginning to seem a lot rosier.  It was in this jolly frame of mind that I revisited the new wine shop in the basement and I was impressed…

I love the clean and easy-to-navigate lay out – way better that the old set-up on the ground floor.  Although the range might lack some depth given the space constraints, it makes up for this with great regional coverage.  The range on offer is eclectic (how about a trying a Franken Scheurebe perhaps?) so has lots to interest your average wine nerd, but there’s plenty to entice the flashier purchaser too, with separate rooms for fine wine and high-end Champagnes.  Also, what a fantastic range of spirits, apéritifs and digestifs.  This is the place to buy a gift or something impressive for a dinner party.

Three reasons to go:

1. you can splurge on something new/interesting
2. you can buy a single bottle of something you might otherwise have to buy a case of online
3. you can try before you buy from the Enomatic machines

Three reasons to resist the urge to wander in:

1. the mark-up (maybe not the place for a value purchase…)
2. you will splurge on something new/interesting
3. do you really want to carry bottles of wine down Oxford Street?

Finally a word on the Harry Gordon bar next door.  I confess I’m biased here as I was quite fond of the Wonder Bar on the ground floor with its mezzanine views.  The refit is smart but as I passed by, there looked to be more ambience in the nearby Nespresso concession.  Maybe I was just expecting too much on a Monday afternoon in my new-found jolly frame of mind…