Willoughby’s Wine Warehouse, Sale

There is much evidence in the selection here of the relationships Willoughby’s has forged with many great wine producers: there’s the entire Cloudy Bay range from the renowned New Zealand vineyard and the great Alsace wines of Hugel. You can also buy the entire range of wines from the innovative Montes winery in Chile. If you buy two bottles of Laurent Perrier champagne you can save £16.

A wide range of beers and spirits is available with the marvellous Quinta do Noval to the fore in a spectacular range of vintage ports. If you want vinous hedonism, and who doesn’t as a defiant gesture during leaner times, the heavenly dessert wine Vin de Constance 2002 from South Africa (£27.99) will certainly provide it.

This is a bold challenge to the pre-eminence of the Majestic group which for the last decade has dominated the wine warehouse scene around the North West. Wine lovers know the score: you have to buy a case of 12 in one transaction though the case can consist of 12 different bottles.

Willoughby’s, which for decades held a central Manchester address on Tib Lane, offer up to 700 wines in this Sale outlet and perhaps most importantly lend their expertise as well. This comes from the vastly experienced Alan Smith and his trained staff. The assistant sales manager is Colin Carson who for several years was the manager of Oddbins on Deansgate and masterminded its recent conversion to Nicolas.

There is a contemporary airy spaciousness about this new branch for which the word warehouse is perhaps a misnomer. As you look out over the highlighted areas of world wine production, country by country, you become aware of how radically wine retailing has changed in recent years.

The following two wines best exemplify the new Willoughby’s Wine Warehouse. Mudhouse Sauvignon Blanc 2007 (£8.99) which is superbly flinty dry and possibly better than its pricier New Zealand Cloudy Bay cousin. At the same time the Mercurey Michel Picard 2002 (£9.49) from this excellent vintage of Burgundies are becoming thin on the ground. A middle ranking wine from one of the region’s often ignored appellations it’s definitely worth a try.

Supermarket wine departments give a hint of the choice available but here there is amazing abundance with prices even keener than in the chain stores. You can spend anything on a bottle from £3.99 to £350 and there is a buy two bottles of the same wine and save money on many offers. Given the economic malaise, a nice gesture is provided by the complimentary bottle of Mumm champagne (£24.99) you get with the first case you purchase.