The Vineyard

Easily the best off license in Belfast. As a craft beer drinker it has an impressive array of beers (and wines, spirits, etc.) and I never leave without something I haven’t tried before. The staff are truly excellent, both knowledgeable and friendly.
The new addition of the growler (refillable 1 and 2 litre glass beer bottles) is simply fantastic. It has an ever changing selection of draught beers (4 on tap at one time). The beers are good for 60 days from purchase so you can enjoy them at your leisure!

It’s rare that an off-​licence would have so much going for it. Vast selections of every type of alcohol. Most notable is the selection of whiskey. Ranges from all over the globe mostly from isles surround long Scotland. Also an impressive craft beer selection which is a more popular selection than ever amongst today’s social drinker. If you’re in the area, have a wee look round this quirky little offy!

An Aladdin’s cave of wine, beer and spirits that you simply cannot find elsewhere. I could spend ages choosing a wine in this independent off licence. The staff are wonderfully knowledgeable and helpful. The only negative is that the wines can be expensive, however they do stock more reasonably priced bottles as well. Exceptional.

You can’t just pop into the Vineyard for a bottle of wine.
Well you can, but you’d be missing a trick. This place is an absolute treasure trove of booze and a wealth of knowledge. Today I only popped in for an average ladies-​putting-​the-​world-​to-​rights level of bottle of wine and was treated to not only a history of some fancy craft beer maker and his apprentices but also a lesson in gin. The staff here are amazing, and the enthusiasm in which they talk about what they sell made me sad that it was only lunchtime and I couldn’t start on a sampling spree.
Yes it is a bit more expensive than the big box of bumper beers deals you’ll get in the supermarkets, but when the selection and service here is so good, who cares!

Great off-​licence, I like ales as well as the more common (for this part of the world) lagers and bitters. They have a great range and I would have to say this place is largely responsible for switching me on to ale in the first place! The staff are really knowledgeable about everything in the shop as well, which is a big + if you’re looking at buying something for the first time. It’s the same with wine, great range, and most importantly the cheaper end of the range has been well chosen. So you can pick up a cheaper bottle and know it will be great instead of paying less and getting vinegar!

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Please don’t review this business if you received a freebie for writing this review, or if you’re connected in any way to the owner or employees. We all know the wine we usually drink, don’t we? It’s the last-​on-​the-​shopping-​list, £2-​a-​bottle off, end-​of-​week, therapy-​in-​a-​bottle supermarket purchase. Not in the Vineyard on the Ormeau Road. Here you’ll find carefully whatever the opposite of an oasis of divine drinks, carefully chosen wine and top-​notch spirits. You’ll also find knowledgeable, helpful, laid-​back, non-​pushy staff who’ll get you sorted out, whether you have less than a tenner to spend or want a special bottle of something for a pressie or special occasion.
I started going there after we’d had a bottle of Lebanese red wine in a restaurant and the Vineyard was the only place that stocked it. Although not in the city centre, it Ormeau Road is only a couple of minutes away, with free on-​street parking.
The last time I was in, I found out about their wine club, which organises tastings, gives discount, provides tasting notes and other interesting stuff to enhance the wines. I always come out resolving to start a ‘cellar’ — which in our house would mean something that survives in the wine rack for more than a couple of weeks! They have also branched out to become cocktail supply specialists — yah, must make another visit straight away!

I can and do drink pretty much anything — Father Jack on the Toilet Duck has nothing on my house on a Friday night — so while I do occasionally splash out on a nice bottle of red wine, I am more often to be found with a bottle of rose at a maximum price of £5.99. And considering myself quite cultured among my Buckfast-​swilling friends too.
As such, the Vineyard isn’t an offy I go out of my way to, specialising in proper wines and drinks for those who drink for taste and actually keep the cork of a bottle of wine to put it in the bottle and keep it for later. I do call in fairly often as it’s on my way home, and no doubt embarrass myself terribly by going for the £5.99 or £4.99 rose, but I care not.
The Vineyard is about the best place on the Ormeau Road to go if you want to buy someone a nice bottle of wine as a pressie, or to bring to someone’s house if they’re making you dinner. But I call in mainly for convenience rather than choice, although clearly that’s my fault for being such a pleb.

I’m really impressed with this ‘offie’ with a difference. Ever since some friends of ours whooped out a bottle of very gorgeous and very expensive wine and informed us that The Vineyard was the place to go I’ve been intrigued.
I wouldn’t usually spend a fortune on booze but I thought as a one off I would call in and see what was on offer. They have a wine selection to die for and while you can pick up a vintage shiraz for a weeks wage you can also get your Saturday night carry out in here.
I can’t really think of any other off licenses in Belfast that offer such a large selection of world wines and I am very pleased that I have found this one. I did feel uncomfortable just browsing as the man was watching me a lot so I ended up buying some cherry beer to have with dinner — that was surprisingly nice as well.
A great find on the Ormeau Road especially if you want a decent present or to surprise someone with a bit of luxury.

I heard a lot about this place and have worked near it for a while before I finally went in and checked it out. To be honest it was sold as the greatest place on earth and while it isn’t quite that good, it is a pretty damm good off licence.
This is the place to go if you want to get the more exotic tipples such as chinese beers like Lucky and Tsingtao, which are my two favourite beers and this is one of the few places that you can pick them up in Belfast. It is a little bit cluttered and its not the biggest shop, but this kinda just adds to its charm.
The staff here are really knowlegdable when it comes to the stock and you won’t be dissappointed if you want an exotic beer or a great bottle of wine.
Top Stuff.

When my beer obsession reached breaking point I found myself having trouble sourcing the harder to get foreign and domestic offerings.
The Vineyard back in the day certainly satisfied my thirst, quite literally for all those exotic tipples I’d previous been unable to get my hands on.
The cramped and cluttered layout can be a bit jarring but to be honest you do soon grow to admire their ability to cram as much stock into such a tiny space.
I came here really for good craft beer. Belgian greats such as Rochefort 10, St Bernardus 12, Piratt IPA and the superb Rodenbach Grand Cru. They have a variety of domestic brews from many of the smaller English breweries too, many of which are pretty disappointing.
A spattering of American micros such as Anchor, Goose Island, Sierra Nevada. Breweries such as Great Divide also rear their heads from time to time.
The only issues I’ve had in the last few months is the lack of rotation of stock (the same old tiring offerings) and the quite frankly ridiculous price hike. £4 for a bottle of Halcyon IPA? £6.59 for a 750ml of Mc Chouffe? Besides that this place is definitely worth a visit for those who have an experienced palette.
The last time I landed in I was looking for a nice full bodied red. Now my beer knowledge may be almost encyclopedic, my wine knowledge is still developing. The staff were more than helpful, recommending a stunning Torres Cabernet Sauv.