Reserve Didsbury is our flagship wine shop and bar located at the heart of leafy Burton Road in West Didsbury. As well as a mega collection of banging bottles of wine from all corners of the globe, we also stock a range of carefully curated spirits. Let's get to know this shop a little better and discover what's new at 176 Burton Road.
Kate Goodman founded Reserve Wines in 2003 as a neighbourhood wine shop in West Didsbury that has been serving the local community for over 20 years.
She wanted to create a space that was friendly, accessible and fun, and that offered a range of wines from small producers who care about quality and sustainability.
She found a vacant shop on Burton Road, in the heart of West Didsbury, and transformed it into Reserve Wines. The doors opened in November, just in time for Christmas. "It was a bit of a gamble, but I had a lot of support from my family and friends. I wanted to offer something different for the people of West Didsbury. A place where they could find great wines at great prices, and where they could learn more about wine in a relaxed way."
Reserve Wines soon became a favourite destination for wine lovers in Manchester and beyond. Kate's passion for wine and her friendly approach have made Reserve Wines a success story, expanding the business to four other locations.
Now as we celebrate 20 years of Reserve Wines, we're looking forward to sharing a glass with even more people. The shop was recently given a complete makeover to mark the occasion, adding a new tasting room that offers a bespoke space to enjoy wines by the glass and host the best tasting experiences in Manchester.
Why? Because tasting wine is at the heart of what we do at Reserve. Great taste. Great Times.
Whenever we get the chance to taste wine with our customers, we do it. Whether that's through sampling bottles in store or organising tasting evenings or our annual wine fairs. If you're looking for wine tasting in Manchester, you'll find it at Reserve.
Kate said: "I'm very proud of what we have achieved in West Didsbury. It's where it all started, and it's still very close to my heart. I love this neighbourhood, and I love sharing my passion for wine with the people here."
"Manchester wine tasting was very different when we started," says Kate. "There wasn't much available but we found it was the best way to connect with our customers. We offered an experience and over the years we've looked at ways to improve those experiences to keep bringing the same mixture of surprise, joy and excitement and well, pleasure, that tasting wine can bring."
A spectacular evening of English Sparkling wine tasting with Gusbourne.
Shop manager Garry and his team host cosy, intimate events offering expert tips on a range of themes as well as presenting masterclasses from our favourite winemakers and producers. The new space has given us the extra ability to host more food and wine evenings. Recent highlights have a wine & sushi wine tasting collaboration with Sushi Pod. Assistant Manager Gavin has recently put his previous career as a professional chef to use cooking up a summer BBQ feast. The most exciting wine tasting experience Manchester has to offer is going on right here.
The line-up of wines at the Sushi & Wine tasting event alongside the food prepared by Sushi Pod
Assistant Manager Gavin cooking up an impressive spread at the Wine & BBQ tasting event.
You can check out our upcoming events calendar here.
Love wine and food? This one's for you.
For our drink-in guests we are also offering some of the most top notch cheese and wine tasting Manchester has to offer.
We've teamed up with our friends at Chorlton Cheesemongers to offer a range of high quality cheese to pair with our wines by the glass and wine flight experience. The cheese selection is priced at £12, is suitable for 2 people and changes on a monthly basis. If you like the sound of this, we recommend you let us know at the time of booking, to ensure we have fresh stock – it’s popular!
But that's not all, we also offer:
Nibbles Selection – £20
- Cheese selection, charcuterie, & nibbles
Reserve Vegetarian Selection – £20 (available when booked min 5 days in advance)
- Cheese selection, fresh ciabatta and dips, & nibbles
(Ask our team for a full list of prices and availability when booking.)
Wines by the glass
Our refurbished tasting room is a fab space to come for a glass of something nice. We have a full menu of delicious red, white rose and sparkling wines available by the glass and during the spring and summer we expand the seating outside so you can enjoy a sip in the sunshine.
Did you know?
Our Didsbury shop also serves Spritz cocktails and beer to drink in.
We also offer wine flights (a great way to sample different styles), seasonal aperitif menu, fine wines on Coravin and eco-friendly options including refillable wines by the keg that are better for you - and the planet.
Wine Tasting Flights
We offer 2 different Wine Flights of 3 wines at £20pp where we set a theme and give you an introduction to each of the wines. These are available anytime to both walk-in and advance bookings.
Takeaway wine on tap. How does it work?
- Taste, pick a fave and fill a bottle
- Enjoy at home or in-store
- Return your bottle for a top-up
- Drink & do good for the planet
"The response to our sustainable wines on tap has been brilliant and really underlined that a positive approach to more sustainable practices was something customers really wanted," Kate adds.
Wine Tasting Experiences
Our more in depth Wine Tasting Experience takes around 2 hours and is a journey through 6 wines ranging from sparkling to red, priced at £40pp. These can be booked for groups of any size between 2-16 people.
For groups of 6 or more we require a £10pp deposit at the time of booking.
It's also available to hire for business meetings, private events, celebrations and everything else in between.
Tasting Room Hire
Our tasting room is also available to hire for:
- Private bespoke tastings
- Business meetings
- Personal events
- Custom celebrations
You can discuss your requirements with our team, who will help guide you on what is possible within your budget.
So don't miss this opportunity to visit Reserve Wines, the ultimate destination for wine lovers in Manchester. Book your wine tasting online or secure your spot in our tasting room via our reservations page here or call us on 0161 706 0565 to find out more. But hurry, our tastings are very popular and spaces are limited. We can't wait to share our passion for wine with you.
Until then, happy drinking!
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