I have a vested interest in the heartening return to form of UK retailer Oddbins.
It's not a commercial interest but one based on (a) grateful nostalgia and (b) practical needs. When I was first exploring the wonderful world of wine in the late 1990s, living in Bristol and becoming increasingly addicted to the glorious diversity of flavour and geography this liquid reveals, I spent many happy hours in one of the several branches of Oddbins, picking the brains and palates of the delightful members of staff, who seemed to be there for the love of wine rather than for...