In Praise of S H Jones Wines (Bicester) - a wine post

First off: just to declare I have absolutely no personal connection with this company.  I've never been wined and dined by them, nor have they enjoyed my hospitality.  I've spent a few bob there and occasionally tasted what's on offer, nothing more.  This post is pure fan mail.

(BTW  Look at those two cheeky scooterists - as if I'd asked them to go past so that they might add a metaphoric slant to this post about a wine merchant that's a great mover!)

S H Jones Wines is, to put it mildly, fantastic.  They have other branches, and while the above shop in Bicester isn't their main gaff, it is the one that's closest to my domestic bliss, and this missive is directed at this very shop.

So here's a list of 10 reasons as to why it's a fantastic shop.

1) The staff aren't crap.  Rather they are excellent.  It's always the same people in here.  Guy with round glasses, nice woman behind the till. They both wash their hair, they're friendly without wishing to appear as your best mate, and they know their onions without parading it: they never do the Charlie Big Spuds about wine.  They ask if you need help and will talk sense if you do, but they leave you well alone if you say you don't.  It shouldn't be difficult and, thankfully, it isn't for these two.

2) The shop front is how it should be: normal, classic, and hasn't been designed by an idiot who wants to make a mark or win a prize.  How a shop front should look like.  They always have a well chosen and attractive variety of wares on view in the window, with the odd "look, there's a few quid off this bottle to get a cheapskate like you inside" label kicking around.

3) To my mind a good wine shop strikes a balance: it needs to sit somewhere in the middle of these two extremities.  On the one hand: simply give people what they think they want.  (e.g. see Bargain Booze, or many a supermarket wine shelf: horrible, crass, and vile).   On the other hand:  Oh look, here's a Rose wine at £25, aren't we the cat's pyjamas; and if you don't fancy that, here's a completely worthless wine at £12 quid because someone came up with a jazzy name and label.  No. That's not the SH Jones way.  Rather it's good wines, fighting prices, good range; and a bit like the BBC used to be, it's going to ever-so-gently-without-rubbing-your-face-in-it educate you so that you leave the establishment a slightly better informed person than you were when you entered it.

4) The range of sherries.  Brilliant.  If, like me, you like Fino & Manzanilla, they have about a dozen varieties, without a trace of some of the well known but tiresome labels.

5) The range of Claret.  Now,  it isn't a vast range of Claret,  but it is enough.  So,  the other day they had a couple of  classed growths on sale (Haut Bailly and Batailley if I remember correctly) including magnums; they have one or two better known Cru Bourgeois (e.g. Potensac), and they then have a decent smattering of  £10-20 drinking clarets.  These include their house claret at about £9;  a very good 09 Chateau La Croix de Berny (£12 I think I paid for it, and very decent it is too), and other bits and bobs, including a 2001 claret (Malbat) at about £12 - yes, drinkable (OK so it's not Lynch Bages) 10 year old claret.

6) They have Madiran - nuff said

7) They have Faugeres.  And not just any old Faugeres -  Alquier no less.

8) Their range of white Burgundy is good to excellent.  Everything from very good standard £10 or thereabouts to lower range Meursault.

9) Their range of Gin.   i.e. it's not just Gordons, Bombay, and one other one.

10)  Can you imagine how long this list would be if it were written by someone who actually knew something about wine?

I can't recommend this place enough.  In a time when everything is going to hell in a handcart S H Jones is a sure refuge in time of trouble.

PS  One word of encouragement to this august establishment.  Homepage of your website isn't quite right.

09/12 Though I wouldn't want in any way to claim credit, it should be noted that since this post was published their website has been upgraded and looks much more like it.