Oddbins....

Count me in to the 'OB as formative influence' club (and Colin as part of that!).

Many memories but particularly various PJA wines, including La Chapelles and Thalaberts, and possibly my first 'wow' Burgundy which, I think but have no records of, was a Pothier-Rieusset Pommard.

I think I have one lone OB-purchased bottle left - a Chapoutier Mordoree 1989. Was always going to need a special occasion, but even more poignant now.

A great shame.
 
A really sad day. Oddbins was my introduction, around 1984, to the fascinating world of wine with a mixed case (when a case was 12 bottles) of Riojas - red and white, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva. The fact that wines, from a small area of Northern Spain, could taste similar and different set me off on my exploration journey. Regular visits to the Bruntsfield, Edinburgh branch ended up with an open invite to the staff blind tastings which expanded my horizons and experience even further. In fact at least a couple of them have moved on to fame and (hopefully satisfaction) in the wine world - Richard Meadows, who set up Great Grog and Norrel Robertson MW eventually settling in Spain as a reputable winemaker, who's wines I've had the privilege of tasting.
Good things come and go and, sadly, when realism kicks in Oddbins probably 'went' a couple of decades ago.
 
I think I have one lone OB-purchased bottle left - a Chapoutier Mordoree 1989. Was always going to need a special occasion, but even more poignant now.
That's an interesting point - what bottles do we still have that we bought from Oddbins?
I think I have quite a few, many of which are probably well past their drink by dates.
In fact the 2001 Savennieres Les Varennes that I reported on a couple of weeks back was from them. I might even have one or two 1990 Bordeaux bought EP from them.
The fine wine bit of Notting Hill hosted many wonderful events. I recall enjoying a Californian Merlot from a big name producer*. I think it was about £35 and I recall thinking "That's a lot, but what a wine!". Who was it, I wonder?! Another one I liked was the Petit Sirah from Benziger - part of their Imagery series wines. Also Bonny Doon.

* It came to me, and not really that big a name - Matanzas Creek. That was my idea of dead posh back then.
 
Last edited:
I just wanted to let people know that Oddbins has closed its doors for the final time.

I was Assistant manager in Richmond Hill, Kennington and West Dulwich.

We closed our doors in West Dulwich yesterday for the final time

They weren't able to find a buyer for the business.

All other remaining branches have also closed.

Thanks for letting us know, Louis. Good luck sorting a new role.
 
Very fond memories of the Oxford High St branch (fodder for our blind tasting club c. 2000) and the huge one under Holborn Viaduct near my grad job in Smithfield, a real sweetshop for grown-ups. Definitely a big part of me getting into wine as a young adult.

I remember going into the Oxford one having watched Sideways with my friends and buying some cheap Pinot Noir
 
I still have bottles of Chave Hermitage 1990, Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 1990, Ch Lafite 1990 and Billecart-Salmon N F Billecart 1996, all bought at Oddbins. The Chave cost £25, the HLC £20, the Lafite £70 and the NFB £40.

Oddbins was fundamental to the development of my interest in wine in the 1980s, as I suspect it was for many people from a background in which wine did not feature. Sainsbury's was the first supermarket to take wine seriously, developing an interesting range and democratising and popularising wine (they stocked Ch Musar and Fevre Grand Cru Chablis and Penfold's Grange, among others). From Sainsbury's you progressed to Oddbins, with its stupendous range, its enthusiastic, knowlegeable and helpful staff and its characterful premises. Traditional merchants could be intimidating, whereas Oddbins was welcoming. Also, you could buy by the bottle, which was great for impecunious types like me. There on the shelf in Sheffield were wines by the likes of Ridge, Yarra Yering, Beaucastel, Clape, Muller-Catoir, Albert Mann. It was a range that could compete with any decent regional independent. And the first time I went to the treasure-trove under Holborn Viaduct my jaw dropped. There were multiple vintages of all the First Growth clarets, and burgundies such as Carillon Bievenue-Batard-Montrachet, top Californian wines, great Barolos, Noval Nacional and the rest, all at competitive prices. Whenever I went to London on business, I made sure I could spend an hour or so in there and pick up a few bottles. I'm pretty sure I must have encountered Colin W in there, without then knowing who he was. And there was the relentless quest for new and interesting discoveries by Steve Daniels and his team - hence the creation of the Greek range.

RIP Oddbins and thanks for the memories. Actually, more than memories: the foundation of a life-long passion, which has also led to many valued friendships with like-minded people. (D Byrne & Co also deserves a mention here.)

All the best for the future, Louis. When one door closes another one will open.
 
I am sure I still have a few Oddbins bottles. I have some Bin 389 from the 1990s I think, but probably some Bordeaux too. In terms of expensive/posh stuff I basically just bought Bordeaux and Australian in the 90s from them, otherwise it was the cornucopia of interesting cheaper stuff for drinking, from Greece, France and Italy, and all points east, west, north and south.
 
Such a shame - a giant of wine retailing 20-30 years ago. I even worked for them for 6 months - Wokingham, Sunningdale & Reading - on a 'zero-hours' basis before eloping to Switzerland. Happy times - but even with my 25% staff discount, I owed them money at the end of each month :)
Bill,
Were you working in Wokingham in the 1988/89 time frame?
We may have crossed paths?
There was briefly an Oddbins in Bracknell too I think?
Graham...
 
And the first time I went to the treasure-trove under Holborn Viaduct my jaw dropped.

Yes, me too and I visited regularly, especially during my brief stints of living in London. One thing though, was that the whole shop occasionally smelled as if it was corked :). I guess it was a bit of dampness in their unsalubrious location - but a bit of humidity good for the corks :)
 
Last edited:
Sorry to hear that Louis: I hope you find a new position soon.

I have to admit that I've not seen an Oddbins for years, and I suspect that the Oddbins era those of who knew and loved it remember has been gone some time. But it is still sad to see the name disappear completely.

That's an interesting point - what bottles do we still have that we bought from Oddbins?
I think I have quite a few, many of which are probably well past their drink by dates.
Same here. I can see I have a 1990 Recioto di Soave bought in 1998 and a Boony Doon Cassis bought in 1996. Not entirely sure why I bought either, as I've clearly had no inclination to open them since purchase!
I'm holding out a little more hope for my other Oddbins remaining Oddbins purchases: 95 Noval, 95 Masi Amarone, a 92 Muller Catoir Beerenauslese, 97 Ch. d'Angludet and 97 Ducru-Beaucaillou , though the other bottle of 97 Ducru-Beaucaillou bought at Oddbins in Newcastle was rubbish in 2003.

I still wish I'd cleared the shelves of the various Quintarelli amarones I found on the shelves at Oddbins Westbourne Grove (late 80s?), but when I went back after opening a couple, they'd pretty much all gone. I have a feeling I even went to the hidden goldmine of Holborn Viaduct to see if I could find any more.
 
I first bought wine from the High Holborn branch in the early 80s. As I recall, Oddbins played a significant role in the popularity of Australian wines in the UK. The first fine wine I bought from them was Geyserville, either 1985 or 1987. I think they used to stock Grange for about £26.
Later I graduated to both the Notting Hill Gate and Holborn Viaduct branches. I met Colin Wills there and enjoyed browsing in the Fine Wine sections. I think I have one bottle left from those days: Haut Brion 1990, bought for £39.99 with a voucher for £8 off the usual price. I'm saving it for a big birthday in a few years' time.
 
I came to London in September 1992 (black Wednesday) and managed to rent a house from Cadogan estate with Shell allowance (so bad was the housing market) .
The £ sank and there was a Oddbins at Kings road Oakley street corner. Bordeaux crus classés were dirt cheap at least for a few years… so sorry I didn’t buy tons of it…but enjoyed it while it lasted. Choice was amazing at the time…
 
Many fond memories. I remember buying Australian and NZ wines in Cambridge when there were only a few listed. But heyday was late ‘80’s early ‘90’s. Got great tip offs from Oxford High St and Summertown from two now distinguished MWs. Plus visited the Fine Wine High Holborn Branch when visiting London. Some might remember the great Muller-Catoirs of 1988-1992 (never equalled), (relatively) cheap Clape, Grange and Monfortino, the £30 tasting box of six halves of Jaboulet 1990’s (inc La Chapelle), the single cask Malts with Oddbins peaty and (not totally clear) bespoke water to dilute them with … Burgundy was a relatively weak spot (e.g., I never got Jaffelin, although they had a little Carillon in London) and I admired rather than really liked the Ralph Steadman artwork that helped create the quirky and brilliant brand it was.
 
Top