Amps Wine Merchants

Amps Wine Merchants is one of the most well known and best-loved independent wine shops in the region. It’s more than 100 years old and has been in the same family for four generations. The reasons for its success today are the same as they were at launch in 1901 – good customer service, a passion for high-quality wines and spirits, and impressive subject knowledge.

But great age doesn’t mean that Amps is stuck in the past, far from it – the shop has embraced the internet, offering a full online sales service, and stocks a thoroughly modern selection of wines. The team also run regular tasting events, from New Zealand Pinot Noir sessions to Italian wine and pizza nights to Cognac masterclasses. But if you simply fancy dropping into Amps – it’s open six days a week – you can be sure there’ll always be eight fascinating bottles open and ready to taste in its ‘tasting machine’ (a wine preservation unit that dispenses wine at the optimum temperature). Staff will be happy to guide you.

Amps also runs its popular Corkscrew Club, where you join to receive a bespoke selection of 12 bottles (along with useful tasting notes) delivered to your door once a quarter. The wines you’ll get to know and love through the Corkscrew Club are specially chosen and tend to be from smaller vineyards – the sort of bottles you wouldn’t find on supermarket shelves.

The shop sells a range of locally brewed beers, fortified wines and spirits, too.