Wine Lord

I must admit I knew about this place for a long time but never ventured in and then i started to hear great things about it.
It’s not too far from where I live at all, just on the outskirts of the Jewellery Quarter. Wine Lord is not really like your normal off licence. This in my opinion is what off licences should be doing. Right now you can get all your normal lagers and beers from Tesco in a crate for a standard price, which is why I dont understand you get people opening an off licence which does exactly the same when they cant compete with the price the supermarkets offer.
Wine Lord steps away from that area and sells the beers you definitely won’t find in the supermarkets. Yeah you still can buy cans of fosters here but thats not really what the place is for. It sells a lot of the independent brewery beers that might be a bit unusual. Things like Weird Beard, Oakmans, Brewdog and Brooklyn. I’ve been in here a fair few times to treat myself to something really different.
Now i use the term treat myself specifically for the reason that i haven’t gave this place 5 out of 5. It is really a treat if you are on a budget. A crate of 12 Brewdog beers will cost you about £22 which is a little bit more than you would be used to if you were buying your average lagers. Buying a selection of individual independent beers (about 6) might even cost you the same. I did speak to the guy in charge before about maybe doing some sort of deal for a 6 or 8 pack and he said he would seriously look into it but until such time, i can’t justify the money all the time. Now I get why its at this price, 1) no one else around sells them so you can charge that and 2) the price of each beer to buy in has got to be quite high but its just a bit more than I would like to pay really.
It’s a shame cause having come back from the US, it cost about $ 10 to buy a 6 pack before and whilst I understand importing has to take place, I really want to have that chance again. Maybe a 6 pack for £15 would be a more comfortable price, depends how do-​able that is.
The guy there is really friendly and its always a pleasure to visit. The building it’s set in is an old pub which doesn’t really look the part at first but once inside you’re just spoilt for choice.
I think i would be prepared to up the rating if there was more offers on. There isn’t a price on everything in there, you do have to ask most of the time. If it were a little bit more affordable, i might come here for beers every time.

This place may be slightly off the beaten track for an off-​licence but it’s definitely worth a visit. Situated on Constitution Hill its easy to get to from town and there is a car park round the back but if you’re quick I’m sure you can just grab a spot on the street. Inside it’s full, and I mean full, of everything booze-​related you could possibly want.
There’s a great selection of wine though do be careful that the price below the bottle actually refers to the bottle above it, as I’ve had this happen to me a few time where its more/​less expensive than I had thought. Bottles start at around £5 and go all the way up. There’s a good selection of beers and ales though this isn’t something I tend to purchase myself so I can’t comment. The standard collection of Cokes, Sprites etc are available in both bottle and can form so you can get which one you prefer.
Spirits are kept behind the counter, which is huge! It’s about the same size of the store itself. You can probably only see about half, if not less, of what is on offer as it’s hidden behind all the other bottles on display. However, if you ask, the staff are completely willing to talk you through what’s there. Also, if you’re after a particular bottle, they tend to have it in stock, and if not, they’ll order it for you! They are always getting new things in so it’s worth popping back just to check.
I’ve picked up a few good recommendations for rum from the staff here and I love the mess of the place with it being a maze of booze! Check it out!

How remiss of me not to have reviewed Wine Lord before! Now, again, as you by now may know — I do like the odd drink or two. As I have gotten older and have a few more pennies in my pocket (well, more than my student days); I have found my tastes in drinks getting more and more varied. Wine Lord is the place to go for an interesting liquid treat.
Firstly, let’s talk about the store itself… It’s situated on Constitution Hill and on first glance may look like like any other neon-​toting booze selling establishment. It’s not overly attractive and doesn’t strike you as a treasure trove of rarities… but that’s what it is.
The store inside is small, but rich in choice. There are beers, wines and alcopops floor to ceiling on every wall. The owner is so helpful too; if there is something in particular you are looking for he will order in or look into stocking things permanently if there is a chance it’ll be popular.
They also have a shop parrott. This has to be one of the only shops in the whole of the West Midlands where you can choose your weekend treat whilst being squawked at by a feathered friend.
I first popped in to Wine Lord on recommendation of a friend to find a certain «hard-​to-​find» delight, but, as what usually happens at Wine Lord — I came out with much more than I had bargained for. After chatting away to the friendly and helpful owner (who also changed my mind about tequila forever by giving me a sample of some amazing stuff); I found out about so many interesting brands to check out in the future.
Consider this my love letter to Wine Lord. It may not be pretty or in the best area, but take a trip down and be amazed at the selection, variety and unique personality of this gem in the Jewellery Quarter.

There’s only one way I can think to describe Wine Lord. Endless wonder. Like stepping into Warehouse 13 (fantastic sci fi tv show if you’re unfamiliar) except instead of historical artifacts there is alcohol as far as the eye can see!
That may be something of an exaggeration as it’s only a small shop but if you are after a certain tipple then chances are you will find it here. From your standard lagers and ciders to ales from around the world (and just up the road) and all of the spirits you could want.
And a parrot.
However, this is not the cheapest off licence in the world and chances are you will find better deals on your everyday beverages in your local supermarket. But for that special bottle of something for a present, or for a treat, it is well worth it. The owner is incredibly knowledgeable and has always offered to order something in if it’s not currently stocked.
4 out of 5, not perfect and in the upper reaches of the price scale but there is a parrot… and who can say no to that?

Any regular readers of my reviews will know I’m a bit of a booze snob and can be quite picky about what and where I drink, being bought up as a traditonal ales and real cider kind of guy. Well, Wine Lord is one of my favourite off licenses in the city — the only one that beats it is Stirchley Wines, and anyone who’s been there will know there’s no shame in coming second to Stirchley Wines.
I happened across it whilst en route to the Hockley Flyover Show and was completely shocked to find such a gem of a shop in what seems like a relatively run down area of the city. My purchases that day included tiny bottles of tequila (you don’t see those very often) and energy drink but other products that I like that they sell include the world changing Brew Dog range of beers, lots of ciders that taste of apples instead of sugar and a range of spirits that had me staring in awe for a good fifteen minutes or so.
The staff are good humoured, and helpful too. In fact, I’m going to revise my original statement and say that this isn’t just one of the best off licenses in Birmingham, it’s one of the best off licenses in the midlands as I really can’t think of any (bar Stirchley Wines) that beat it.

The phrase if they’re not got it, then they don’t make it comes to mind! Appearances are definitely deceiving in this case. From the outside it looks like a really small shop that probably wouldn’t have much of a selection.
However, when you walk in it’s like an alcoholic’s heaven with floor to ceiling bottles on display.
They have everything from your standard beer, spirits and wine choices through to options such as port, sherry, champagne, and if you want it they even have low calorie alcohol options.
I decided to cook a Mexican feast for my friends and happened to walk past this off license. I went in not knowing what alcohol would complement my master piece (well, chilli!) and I was pleasantly surprised with the help on offer from the shop assistant.
I left with a couple of bottles of red and even a bottle of tequila!

If you are looking for a specialist tipple who needs Selfridges prices when you can visit the Wine Lord. From original Sailor Jerry, to the best Patron, they even have the legendary Four Loko, but it is £7… you will love it and won’t regret the price. In case you are new to the crazy world of Four Loko it is a drink that was banned in the USA for the extreme behaviour and adverse drunken effects on everyone who drank it. I recommend you Google Four Loko stories, it will either make you want to try it or stay away from it. Either way you can find a variety of flavours at Wine Lord.
If it’s the old guy behind the counter he can help you find anything and give recommendations but other staff I’ve encountered struggle to know the stock, as there is soooo much. You will be astounded at the variety of booze they have and will feel your head explode as you try to work out what to try.

Wine Lord was recommended to me by a good friend who used to live just round the corner. I was after some Sailor Jerry for another friend, and maybe something a little different for myself. I wanted to be inspired and get my tastebuds racing. ‘WINE LORD!’ he said, ‘Ignore the outside — their range is superb!’
So I trundled in and found myself in a tiny shop with shelves stacked floor to ceiling with bizarre and intriguing and DELICIOUS alcohol. Things I’d only heard of on posh drinking blogs, and things I’d only dreamed of! (Bacardi DRAGONBERRY?!) And there, nestled at the back of one of the top shelves, sat an original Sailor Jerry bottle. Now, unfortunately for my friend, I don’t love him enough to fork out the price such a bottle fetches unless it’s a PARTICULARLY special birthday (or unless I get a small lottery win!) but I DID come away with a strange Madargascan vanilla-​infused rum called Pink Pigeon which tastes as strange and heavenly as it sounds and totally did the trick.
The bloke who runs the place is beyond helpful — last Xmas he told me if I ran out of anything, to ring his mobile as he lives upstairs and can come down and open up in an emergency. AMAZING! This place is a little secret, and anyone with a penchant for alcohol needs to visit STAT.

Wine Lord in Hockley is the absolute GOD of off licenses!
When you walk into what appears to be a battered, old, derelict public house you are suddenly overwhelmed with floor to ceiling (and they are high ceilings!) shelves of every kind of booze imaginable. It’s not a case of ‘what do they have’ but more a case of ‘what haven’t they got?!‘
Beers, ales, ciders of a zillion varieties, walls and walls of wine, Champagne, spirits, banned alcoholic energy drinks such as CRUNK JUCE and FOUR LOKO (they’re allowed to sell off their current stock) — Wine Lord have it all.
You can even satiate your late-​night chocolate and ice cream cravings. This is a dangerous place!
The store manager is a friendly guy of about 30 and he’s really helpful. If you can’t see what you want then just let him know and I’m sure he’ll get it in stock for you. They always have great offers on and it’s worth asking for recommendations.
It’s a great place to grab a few drinks for a sneaky summer picnic in St Paul’s Square which is just round the corner. Put that Tesco Clubcard away and hit this little gem instead — you won’t regret it.
Wine Lord currently have a couple of Facebook pages. Make sure you add them both to get all the updates: