Clissold Wines

This is the original wine shop on Stoke Newington Church Street, BO (Before Oddbins), so it has a loyal customer base. They stock a wide selection of wines, with plenty of room for browsing.
It’s a relief to be in a shop that’s not piled up with displays in the middle of the floor, so you can step backwards safe in the knowledge that you’re not going to fall into a basket of wine and set off a chain reaction that results in the shop crashing all around you Inspector Clouseau stylee. (Or perhaps it’s just me?)
There are always wines on offer, so check the window for their latest promotions, or just go in and have a look. They’re very friendly and don’t bite.

Going to an actual wine shop instead of Tesco’s Express for my booze always makes me feel very grown up and sophisticated, until the suspicious yet friendly shop owners ask me for ID. This is exactly what happened to me the other day at Clissold Wines, but I quite enjoyed it because I was fortunately with passport and then I had a chat with the woman in the store about the crazy coincidence that her daughter was also twenty four.
I don’t know anything about wine, so fortunately the people at Clissold Wines do. Another reason to support local business and go to specialised shops because I’m pretty certain that the acne ridden youths at Tesco’s are even more clueless than me when it comes to differentiating a Merlot from a Malbec.
There are always special offers in this store and its quite possible to pick up a bottle of plonk for under a fiver without it tasting like lighter fluid. It’s worth popping in here to see the Garfield style ginger cat they have, he stares haughtily from the register as if appraising your choices and for some reason he did not look very impressed with the £4.99 bottle of sparkling wine I purchased on my last visit.

Clissold Wines is great because although it stocks a decent selection, the prices are good and it caters for a range of budgets. There is not a great deal of top end wines, but as long as you are not after something very special, I’m sure you will find something.
There is always a bargain to be had, which is why I keep going back. The specials are often at give-​away prices. I also keep going back because I love the people who run the store.
There are a few rather posh wine shops in the area, and I am grateful that Clissold is not one of them. Church street can get a it carried away with its prices sometimes, and Clissold keeps it down to earth.

Buying wine at Clissold Wines is far more cost efficient than buying it next door at Church Street Supermarket. Though I love the 24 hour store, their wine selection is poor and generally more expensive.
Clissold Wines is a friendly family-​run store which has an excellent selection of low-​mid price wines, spirits and beers. They always run a few cheap offers in big wooden crates next to the door– I went in last night and they had 3 different 3 for 10 pound white wine offers. As well as inexpensive offerings, they also have an excellent range of riojas and sancerres from about 12 pounds upwards.
The staff are friendly and helpful and have two beautiful cats who sit behind the till.