Favourite Offy on LL

[matthew123]

re: G&B

I'd say for a start you need stronger visibility with wine promotions to entice potential customers off Lordship Lane, regardless of the competition.

[Keef]

It could have changed since then, but when I last popped in to G&B to buy a nice bottle of wine, I spoke to the guy, and ended up walking away with a ?23 bottle, because by that point I was too proud to say I didn't really want to spend that much. Some price labels would be good, IMO.

I know some may find this idea crass, and unclassy, but these people are pretentious knobs in my view.

[Brendan]

They do have price lables. I very rarely spend more than about ?10 on a bottle unless I'm specifically curious about something.

[matthew123]

Do the French and Spanish wine producers keep the best stuff for their home market or do they send it to the UK? Always thought best place to buy is in Duty Free before flying home.

[sophiesofa]

I don't go in green and blue because it looks intimidating and I know nothing about wine (except that i like to drink it). Keefs comment of no prices did momentarily put me off completely until I read Brendans post. I think i will have some dutch courage then go in this weekend.

[lenk]

matthew123 Wrote:

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> Do the French and Spanish wine producers keep the

> best stuff for their home market or do they send

> it to the UK? Always thought best place to buy is

> in Duty Free before flying home.

It's not always about keeping back the 'best stuff' - a lot of producers just don't make enough of what they make for it to be worthwhile sending it abroad.

A lot of Belgian beers don't make it over here for the same reason.

The cost of a bottle is usually linked to the scarcity value of the grapes - obviously there are other factors that come into play but it plays a part.

A bottle of Chateau Musar from Lebanon, though very nice, costs what it does because they aren't able to make much of it.

[Keef]

They do have price lables.

Fair enough, they didn't then, but I am talking about a while ago, as don't often go down Lordship Lane to buy booze (to take home).

[*Bob*]

RE G&B: I can't remember a time when they didn't have price labels..?

No-one sidles up to you to puts the hard word on you if you're perusing, so there's no need to feel like you're under any pressure. If you ask for help then that's different, of course, but just say how much you want to spend.. there's no reason to feel bad about not wanting to spunk less than a tenner. They're not going to get evil looks!

I like G&B for the occasional bottle but the choice is limited around a certain price range (ie the low-end), which means a lot of it is more than I want to spend for day to day (literally) boozing.

For that reason, my favourite offy is Virgin Wines. A 'Discovery Club First Class' case comes in to around ?8/bottle, good quality stuff with very rarely any duffers (money back if you don't like anyway) and - a big plus for me - always something different.

[Keef]

Okay, maybe they did, and I missed them. The wine was in the fridge if I remember rightly.

Aaaanyway, I'm not trying to "diss" G&B, I was just sharing one experience. I was probably naive, and asked for help, but didn't say "I'm looking to spend ?10-?15" or anything like that, so my fault.

It was a very nice wine by the way.

[Brendan]

Yeah I just say, ?Wine for guests, willing to spend, ?7-?12? or

?Wine for me willing to spend about, ?20?

[legalbeagle]

Thanks for the feedback, i'll try to answer all of the points:

We do have price labels but maybe they weren't as prominent in the past as they are now. I hope that they are now clear and if not, let me know!

We have set the shop out in the hope that it is easy to find something you like whether or not you know lots about wine. The shop is divided into sections called things like "spicy" and "fruity". The idea is that all you need to do is think about the kind of flavours you like and then go to that section, without worrying about whether or not you have heard of the producer.

If you don't know what flavours you like, or want a recommendation to go with food or a party or whatever then please do ask the staff, and please do mention your budget. The most common request we get is for wine that is within a particular budget. We have no time for snobbery, and anyone who makes you feel like you can't set yourself a limit in what you want to spend doesn't deserve your hard earned cash.

We do have wine below ?10, but we don't usually have wine below ?5. That is purely because we deal with very small producers, and it isn't cost effective for them to export their wines, which they make in very small quantities, at that price point. We do try to be competitive and our margins are lower than many other wine retailers we know, but it is very difficult for us to make money on these types of wines much below ?6-7. What we do believe is that the wines we stock are good value for money. We have been offered a number of truly delicious wines for the shop that we have turned down because although we love them, we can't honestly say they are worth the price being asked. For wines that are very expensive, we make very little margin at all. Inevitably we don't have the buying power of other big name off licences, but we do try to offer different discounts and special offers where we can.

If anyone who has previously avoided us is tempted to come in this weekend and isn't happy with the service or doesn't like the wine, then please let me know. We are always looking for ways to improve. Thanks for all the feedback!

[legalbeagle]

One other point - Keef you might well be right, the wine in the fridge might not have price tags. That is because the wine is also on the shelves, but we chill a few bottles in case people want to take them home cold. But of course if you haven't noticed they are on the shelves and went straight to the fridge for something chilled you wouldn't know that. Apologies for that, and I'll look into whether or not the fridges are priced and if not what we can do about it.

[nylonmeals]

@LegalBeagal I'm impressed that G&B are on the site and listening, I think that's great. This is an interesting post as I shop in both Nicholas and G&B and I guess that I tend to think that G&B will be more pricey, for more special occasions and Nicholas for a quick and cheaper bottle of wine.

I don't think of G&B as offy at all. But I do think that you could make some of your take-out wine promotion prices more prominent in the window or on the street.

For anyone who is worried about feeling like a wine dunce, I can tell you that the staff there have always been really friendly and really helpful.

[dc]

Keef Wrote:

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I'm not trying to "diss" G&B

and "these people are pretentious knobs in my view"

That's just constructive criticism I suppose?

[Mick Mac]

Sorry - Nicolas wins over G&B every time.

I love French wine and know a little bit about it as we holiday there most years - I like the way Nicolas sets its wines out by French region so I have an idea of what they might taste like. Sometimes I'll go for Bordeaux (with steak), or Burgundy or Rhone depending on the occaision.

The prices in Nicolas are completely clear. I know what I want to spend each time I go in there. Usually ?6 - ?10 and there is lots of choice at that price.

They have a bargain basement discounted wine as you walk in the door and in recent credit crunch times I have been buying that wine more and more as it is really reasonable.

Green and Blue - I just find completley confusing - it is set out by taste (I think ?) but generally I just want old world wines and I'm afraid the G&B set up has never worked for me.

I think if you have to ask for help then thats a bad thing - it should be self explanatory - and as Keef says when you ask for help you end up saying yes to a bottle of wine that is above what you wanted to pay - so I just don't go in there.

I don't remember ever buying a ?23 bottle of wine in Nicolas but you can get a good Bordeaux for ?10-?15 - for me that is perfect price/quality ratio.

[SeanMacGabhann]

dc

I don't think Keef was calling anyone from G&B "pretentious knobs" - he was suggesting that there might be people in the world who think it unnecessary to have prices for a bottle of wine visible and that these hypothetical people could be so called

I have never had a problem with Nicolas but for me it's G&B every time. As well as having a wider choice from different parts of the world they have always bent over backwards to engage with this forum, even putting on free wine tasting

And if anyone is intimidated by wine, you can always attend one of their introduction to wine course - a great evening and I genuinely came away knowing more than when I went in (not suggesting I knew much anyway - just that courses I have been to in the past are more about selling wine than imparting info)

[legalbeagle]

Mick mac - I'm sorry we haven't won you over, but your comments are thought provoking and I'm sure we can improve. If you are a fan of french wine then we do have some lovely bottles, but it sounds like I have to concede defeat with you, even though i hate to do so.

Nylonmeals - we are working on our window and blackboard displays so hopefully promotions will be clearer.

As ever the Forum is an invaluable source of feedback for us so thank you all for your input. If anyone has any specific comments/complaints/queries in the future you can always PM me.

[Mick Mac]

Just to add that im a fan of green and blue generally in that i have been there quite a few times for sit in drinks and food. I have also been to one of their wine tastings which was a great evening. I just like nicolas above all other wine shops as am a bit of a francophile.

[Keef]

Thank you Sean, and yes, that is what I meant, sorry, thought it was pretty clear.

[dc]

Yes, sorry Keef. I'm afraid it was all a bit of a Blur having just got back from Hyde Park at the time :-$

[Jeremy]

I just think G&B is a bit too high-end for a lot of people, myself included. I would typically spend between 5-7 quid on a bottle of wine, if I went over that it would have to be for a special occasion, or maybe a present. But I'm sure there's lots of people who feel differently... and there's something for all budgets in ED.

[legalbeagle]

Jeremy - I would agree that we are probably perceived as being high end, but we do have some delicious wines at the price you have mentioned, and perhaps they will be something a bit different for you to try? We are also trying to improve that range especially given the current economic climate. (Now all we need is for the chancellor to stop increasing tax on wine and allowing supermarkets to use alcohol as a loss leader........but perhaps that's a discussion for another time!)

[legalbeagle]

Keef - I looked into the pricing issue on the fridges. We can't put the price labels in the fridges as the ones we use go soggy and fall off! We are currently getting some new fridges and reorganisng them and when that's done we will be writing prices on the glass on the fridge door. I hope that makes the pricing clearer and that you'll be tempted to come back in soon!

[Ted Max]

I've cut the price labels down as much as I can, LegalBeagle, but I'm not sure how you're going to get all this written onto the fridge door. I can give my Dad a call and he can come and do some of his special small writing for you, if you like.

"This is an unusual wine from the south eastern tip of the western edge of the Gravingon region" ... yes, yes ... "from 60 year old vines lovingly tended by Mike and Vanessa, and their pet pig Hubert" ... yes, good, I see ... "who are committed to blending modern organic viniculture with traditional French practice and respect for the terroir" ... yes, good, mm... "The blend of the little known Distemper variety with the local Freezebloc grape gives a winning combination" ...yes, right ... "perfect for that simple repast of pigeon, or perhaps a well-hung hare," ...pigeon, I see ... "or even a simple evening in with a good book and a slice of good cheese." ...book, cheese, good. "?24.50 shop/ ?40 restaurant" ... another time perhaps ...

[Jeremy]

legalbeagle Wrote:

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> we do have some delicious wines at the price you have mentioned,

> and perhaps they will be something a bit different

> for you to try?

Sound good, I will pop in the next time I pass by.