Nicolas

It was my Father’s 50^th birthday, and I came to the conclusion that you can’t celebrate and look back on half a century of life without a decent whiskey to accompany you. The only problem is that I am a terrible gift buyer and far from a connoiseur. I know about 4 types of whiskey and most of them are of the bargain basement, 4 doubles for £2 in Metros variety. That simply wouldn’t do. The occasion called for something a little more special than your average Spar mission for booze.
Enter Nicolas on St Mary’s Street. It’s a dedicated wines and spirits store with a huge selection from all over the world. I stared blankly at the various brands of the more pricey whiskeys for a good few minutes, completely clueless as to what would be the ideal gift. The gentleman behind the counter must have sensed that the gears in my mind had ground to a halt as he mercifully enquired as to whether I needed any help. I explained the situation and my budget to him and he went through about 7 or 8 brands which matched, taking me through the individual qualities of each as I nodded blankly. In the end I went for the Monkey Shoulder with its «hints of honey and spiced oak enveloped with a vanilla sweetness» as he put it. He even specially wrapped it up in a decent looking box and everything which he didn’t need to do so top marks to the guy. My Dad was a fan of it too which helped.
My one criticism is that it may be a little expensive. I’ve seen the same brand of Whiskey elsewhere for about 7 or 8 quid cheaper. I didn’t mind too much though because I got some professional, informed customer service with my purchase.

Whatever your taste in wine the staff here will be more than happy to help you select a bottle from their massive selection. I have come here to buy cheaper wine and they have been just as happy as when I have wanted to spend £30 on a bottle. They really know what they are talking about and I found myself being asked questions about the kind of wines I have enjoyed before so that they could find a bottle that would suit my personal taste. I expected more snobbery I suppose but you won’t find it here. They are really friendly, down to earth people and really seem to have a passion about what they do. You can’t buy that sort of thing down in Asda even if they are selling 3 for £10. Nicolas has regular offers and I’d much rather come here than go to any supermarket for my wine.

I never realised Nicolas was a chain until recently — and I also didn’t realise that in some locations they even have wine bars, too. It makes sense, really, since they’re wine experts.
This is the only off licence I know of in the city centre, so it’s handy if you’re off to a BYO (bring your own) restaurant somewhere near the centre.
With supermarkets seeming to take over on sales of wine (and just about every other product!), a lot of off licences seem to have been hit by the recent recession and have disappeared off the high street. Luckily, this one has survived — and still focuses on quality. They stock an excellent range of French wines including well-​known regional wines such as Bordeaux and Bergundy, plus sparkling wines and Cremant, and bottles from less well known wine-​producing areas of France. If wine’s not your drink, they stock plenty of spirits and champagnes, too.

To celebrate ‘Us’ I wanted to get my lovely a bottle of wine we could both enjoy that wasn’t from the supermarkets.
Enter Nicolas, a French wine/​champers/​liquors etc. If your in anyway a wine etc connoisseur (I am but a mere student at the moment) then whatever your looking for you will probably find here. From just a few pounds to the pricely sum of £500 plus if your in real trouble with the lady.
Back to my story, I went in with a vague idea of what McLovely is into and headed for the member of staff there. I explained what she liked and was escorted around the store a little bit, learning about the taste and region the wines were from. It was all very interesting truth be known. Anyway I settled on a beautiful bottle Château Bellegrave 2006, Red. It was exactly as the guy said it was and madam lovely really enjoyed. I got browny points and a decent wine for a reasonable price, I was happy.

If you are in need of a special bottle of wine, this is the place to come! Forget your local offy, this place is packed to the gunnels with some of the finest french wines available in the u.k. The staff are very friendly and incredibly knowlegable and can steer you in the right direction if you don’t know your chablis from your claret! The shop also sells the finest cigars in special humidors and an array of fine glasses and other vinous accutrements! From £10 to £1000, the range of wine is stunning and also contains other wines from european countries although the vast majority of stock is french. Highly recommended!