There was an exciting moment last week when Dog of the Year 2020 (Hector the Glorious Victorious) was in the shop mooching about and in came Dog of the Year 2021 (Jackson the Triumphant). There was much barking, a little sniffing, no biting and a good time was had by all. Always nice to see a little friendly rivalry.

As most of you know, we have a general rule that states any DotW photo must be taken in or on the shop premises. But we also have a Sheldon’s on Tour article where bottles from the shop appear in interesting places. As the below photo wasn’t taken in the shop it must count as a Sheldon’s on Tour snap. The paper that young Twix is holding is from a bottle of Latour 2001, consumed on New Year’s Eve. Fair play, the dog has good taste.

Yesterday we took delivery of the first two pallets of Edward Sheldon Champagne in 2022. We ran out of bottles between Christmas and New Year (thankfully we didn’t run out of halves, mags and jeros) so it is a great relief that we have it back in 75cl bottle format. Stocks are good and we will shortly have more on the way to see us through the whole year.

We now have a reasonable volume of the following formats and wine types at the 2022 prices:

Edward Sheldon Brut Halves (£14.95)
Edward Sheldon Brut Bottles (£24.95)
Edward Sheldon Brut Magnums (£60)
Edward Sheldon Brut Jeroboams (£135)
Edward Sheldon Brut Rose Bottles (£31.95)

Come in and stock up!

We have long been talking about creating a small library at the shop focused on all things wine, beer and spirits. Today this talk became a reality. We have taken delivery of 6 different books published by L’Academie du Vin. L’Academie du Vin was set up by the late Stephen Spurrier to promote wine education through print media. While we may acquire and consume information in many different ways today, there are still few greater pleasures than flipping the pages of a beautiful new book.

The titles we have selected are:

The Story of Wine by Hugh Johnson
Oz Clarke on Wine
On Bordeaux with entertaining contributions from pretty much all of the great and good in wine.
Wine Tasting by Michael Broadbent
In Vino Veritas, described as an elegantly bound collection of fine wine writing both past and present.
Sherry: Maligned – Misunderstood – Magnificent! by Ben Howkins

Like the Chateau Musar book some of you bought from us previously which was by the same publisher, each copy is beautifully bound and presented. I shall be tucking into them over the coming weeks. They also make great presents for the wine-obssesed people in your lives. Something a little different. Something that will perhaps last a little longer than a bottle.

Following in the success of cigar sales since we upgraded the range before Christmas, we have added further lines to the selection. As you know, we are not allowed to say any more, but if a cigar is your thing, come in and ask us to talk you through the new additions to the range.

This week we have taken delivery of our allocation of new vintage Chateau Musar. Not wanting to miss out, we have taken the bold step of acquiring the 2015 vintages in all four available formats:

2015 Chateau Musar:
Half bottles: £18
Bottles: £32.50
Magnums: £75
Double Magnums: £215

We also have a little new vintage release 2014 Chateau Musar white (£32, a peculiar beast, consciously oxidised as part of the production process, this is a wine you either love or hate) and even less 2017 Chateau Musar Rose (£29.50. Why? Because we love it).

We now hold a reasonable collection Chateau Musar across many vintages and wine styles. Whether you are a Lebanon wine novice or a hardened professional, I urge you to try these wines and judge for yourself. They are exceptional and represent incredible value for money for the quality of juice in the bottle.

For this week’s Guest Beer we have selected not one, not two, but three bottles from the same producer. Freedom Brewery was started back in 1995 in London as a no-compromise producer of quality lager. The team moved out of London to a farm in Staffordshire in 2004 with the thinking of producing beer in a more sustainable way. A number of significant investments in sustainability have taken place since, including the installation of natural water filtration on the farm and the introduction and management of bee colonies.

The three beers we have selected from Freedom Brewery are:

Freedom Lager – Lager as it should be. Brewed using 100% British ingredients, the combination of Challenger & First Gold hops deliver a sessionable lager that is light, crisp and refreshing to the last drop.

Freedom Helles – A pale balanced organic lager full of character. Inspired by the Munich Helles style, a clean malt base showcases the traditional Hallertau hops, delivering a delicate, floral balance of flavours that hits the spot.

Freedom Pale – The perfect go-to session pale ale. American Citra and Cascade hops deliver a tropical fruit aroma, complemented by just the right balance of bitterness from the addition of English Admiral hops.

Amanda and I have just tried all three and we say “the lager is pleasantly light, perfectly balanced and very refreshing. To use Amanda’s words, it is a Ladies Lager. Our Friday guest taster known as Trouble says “sippable in the summer”. The Helles is a fuller expression, a bit much for Amanda but Shane says its a Mans Lager. The Pale smells great, lovely fruit on the nose. the bitter finish is too much for Amanda but Shane rather likes it. So there you have it, complete agreement again! One thing we do agree on is that all three are good quality beers and they won’t hang around for long.”

Just a handful of New Ins this week to tantalise the tastebuds, mostly on the spirits front:

2021 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc (£25.50)
2017 Inama Bradisismo (£35)

Black Cow Milk Vodka (£29.95) – much cheaper than the Black Lion milk vodka, it is easier to milk a cow.
Eminente 7 Year Old Cuban Rum (£45)
Ardbeg 10 Year Old Islay Whisky (£45)
Glenmorangie Single Cask 388 (£680)
Glenmorangie Single Cask 8664 (£680)
Glenmorangie Single Cask 12836 (£680)

And we have just one jeroboam (3 litre) bottle of Hennessy XO Extra Age Cognac. It looks absolutely fabulous, if you have a decent drinks trolley at home, this size of bottle will look just the part and will never run out.

It was quite late on one Saturday afternoon when this black knight turned up at the shop. I do believe it is a Jaguar F-Type S coupe.  Don’t ask me any more because I am not sure (3 litre vs 5 litre, V6 vs V8, Supercharged or not), the conversation between the owner and I was brief, I spent most of the time gawping at the lines.

Many thanks to Dave for dropping by to pick up some bottles and allowing me to convince him to let me take a quick piccy of the car.
I suspect we have had more Jaguars of all ages in Car’s the Star than any other vehicle type, it has certainly been the most regular make over recent months. I wonder if it has something to do with our proximity to Jaguar-Land Rover manufacturing based here in the Midlands.

And so concludes tonight’s edition of Sheldon’s Times. Weatherwise it looks like we have survived the storm and tomorrow will be a little calmer but still unsettled. Amanda, Trish and I will be here to look after you throughout Saturday, pop in and say hello. Perhaps buy a bottle of wine while you’re here.