Majestic Wines in Southampton

[Cruisin' & Breezin']

Has anyone heard about this place? Is their wine selection good? How does it compare with the selection at Marks & Spencer or at ASDA? Found the place in Google and mapped it to very close to our hotel. I was wondering if anyone had any information about these places or any other for wine shopping in Southampton prior to cruise. Just to supplement what I will buy from Princess :D

Thanks!;)

[SteveH2508]

Majestic wine has a vast range of wines - ranging from 5 pounds to several hundred pounds a bottle. The staff are all wine buffs as well so you will get good advice.

 

Be aware that there is a minimum purchase of 6 bottles. There are usually several bottles open for tasting as well.

[insidecabin]

They have a good on-line site so you can compare prices with the supermarkets.

 

I used to use them a lot for beer but the prices have crept up.

 

Wine good selections and knowledgable staff.

 

You can always email the store

 

http://www.majestic.co.uk/southampton

[John Bull]

Has anyone heard about this place? Is their wine selection good? How does it compare with the selection at Marks & Spencer or at ASDA? Found the place in Google and mapped it to very close to our hotel. I was wondering if anyone had any information about these places or any other for wine shopping in Southampton prior to cruise. Just to supplement what I will buy from Princess :D

Thanks!;)

 

The difficulty with Majestic Wine is that they have a 6-bottle minimum.

http://www.majestic.co.uk/About

 

Perversely, this is because they don't have a licence to sell alcohol.

 

No problem, if you sell by the case rather than by the bottle you don't need a licence.

Dumb.

But true.

A law designed to keep wholesalers out of the licensing red-tape.

I'm pretty certain Majestic could get a licence if they chose to, they're an established & reputable company. But mebbe they prefer to stick with the excuse to sell in bigger quantities.

 

If you want to get together with others on your cruise, you'll find that they offer a wider choice than the supermarkets, but their prices are no better.

 

They offer mixed cases, so you could buy just six different bottles.

But not less.

And with cruise lines imposing a maximum 2 bottles per cabin, they don't get mentioned on cruise critic.

 

JB :)

[Cruisin' & Breezin']

Thanks a lot for the replies. Sounds like a good place. I have no problem with wine from ASDA or Marks & Spencer but the idea of being able to taste some of the wines and knowledgeable staff is very appealing, even more so when I may not be familiar with the wines they have in stock plus is a bit difficult to compare in my mind prices in GBP vs. USD. :rolleyes:

[Cruisin' & Breezin']

The six bottle minimum is no issue for us since we are traveling with friends so we can carry the six bottles without getting in trouble. Any other places you can recommend? JB, from what I see from your posts you know the area and the topic well. Any recommendation is appreciated.

[John Bull]

The six bottle minimum is no issue for us since we are traveling with friends so we can carry the six bottles without getting in trouble. Any other places you can recommend? JB, from what I see from your posts you know the area and the topic well. Any recommendation is appreciated.

 

I tend to buy my wines in France, prices are significantly lower because of different duty rates.

When I've bought locally, it's tended to be a passable J P Chenet Merlot or Cab-Syrah from ASDA at around £4.50 or a good First Cape Aussie shiraz somewhere under £7 from M&S. That's pretty typical of prices in the UK - and pretty typical of modern UK lazy all-from-one-store buying habits :rolleyes:.

 

All the major supermarkets in Southampton offer a decent range, but ASDA & M&S are the only ones convenient to the city centre. And none of the chain off-licences are represented in the city centre. There's a wine specialist Cloud Wine in Bedford Place, north of the Civic Centre, I don't know how good they are - or whether the style of the place will suit you.

Then there's a number of inner-city local food & wine shops, for those that can't be bothered to look for better.

 

So really, its ASDA or M&S. Or, since the 6-bottle minimum doesn't worry you, Majestic.

 

BTW, according to friends, Celebrity don't seem to have a problem with a 3-litre box of wine per cabin.

 

JB :)

[Cruisin' & Breezin']

I tend to buy my wines in France, prices are significantly lower because of different duty rates.

When I've bought locally, it's tended to be a passable J P Chenet Merlot or Cab-Syrah from ASDA at around £4.50 or a good First Cape Aussie shiraz somewhere under £7 from M&S. That's pretty typical of prices in the UK - and pretty typical of modern UK lazy all-from-one-store buying habits :rolleyes:.

 

All the major supermarkets in Southampton offer a decent range, but ASDA & M&S are the only ones convenient to the city centre. And none of the chain off-licences are represented in the city centre. There's a wine specialist Cloud Wine in Bedford Place, north of the Civic Centre, I don't know how good they are - or whether the style of the place will suit you.

Then there's a number of inner-city local food & wine shops, for those that can't be bothered to look for better.

 

So really, its ASDA or M&S. Or, since the 6-bottle minimum doesn't worry you, Majestic.

 

BTW, according to friends, Celebrity don't seem to have a problem with a 3-litre box of wine per cabin.

 

JB :)

 

We are traveling with Princess.

We favor Shiraz, Malbec, Tempranillo and other spanish wines as well as Pinot Noir. We are open to trying other varietals but try to stay away from the Cabernet since it gives us migraines. So far, have not tried boxed wine. No idea if it is any good. I don't mean to be judgmental but it looks like it may not be good quality although I may be totally wrong. We will be staying in the Novotel for a night before our cruise so that is why we thought about Majestic Wines since it seems to be very close by. What hours do these stores (MW, ASDA, M&S and others) open on Sunday? Is there any restriction on alcohol sales on Sundays? We can also go on Monday morning before going to the ship if Sunday is a problem.

[insidecabin]

Never had a wine check at Southampton on any line.

 

 

Sunday shopping in England is mostly 10:00-16:00 with no restrictions during those hours.

[John Bull]

All three open sunday 10-4 or 11-5, or monday.

Majestic is very close, the other two are 5-10 mins walk, for Asda use the elevator in the multi-storey carpark opposite the entrance of the coach station, for M&S use the John Lewis entrance to the West Quay Mall, hotel staff can be more precise.

No restriction on wine sales. Guessing you're over 18 yrs old :D

 

http://www.majestic.co.uk/southampton

 

http://storelocator.asda.com/store/southampton

 

http://www.marksandspencer.com/mn/storeLocator?searchCriteria=findByAddress&jsEnabled=true&town=Southampton&postCode=

 

Don't expect knowledgeable staff at ASDA or M&S.

Yep, boxed wine used to be low-quality, just like screw-top bottles. But nowadays perfectly decent wines, though not fine wines.

Can't help re Princess policy - but Insidecabin's comment looks hopeful

Syrah is french, shiraz is Aus/SA/Spain, but its all the same grape variety.

Yes, I find Cabernet often a bit tannic, but blendeds ok.

 

JB :)

[Cruisin' & Breezin']

Thanks for the directions to the various places, JB. I am a bit over 18, actually just celebrated the 25th anniversary of my 18th birthday so it is OK:D.

I can handle a bit of Cab in a blend but if it is the main component then I have trouble next morning (maybe sometimes in a couple hours).

 

Thanks Insidecabin for the Princess info. We don't plan to smuggle a vineyard but it is good to know they are not too fussy:D

 

I love CC boards. Anything I may be wondering about, I can find the answer here:)

[insidecabin]

We usualy use the supermarket wine boxes unless we want something special

 

They are lighter than bottles for the same volume if carry on.

You can check them in the regular luggage(they can take a beating)

They are handy for the dispensing the odd glass

There is usualy a shelf the red can sit on and a white fits in the small fridges.

 

If carry on the security is Southampton dock staff, most ships don't rescan luggage, some have a honesty desk for corkage.

 

For upto date Princess info try asking on a recent returned roll call.

[Bob++]

From my experience Princess policy seems to be that it's OK so long as you can carry it. That was from last May though.