Ok, so the email sent out last week wasn’t produced in my finest hour – a number of typos, autocorrection mistakes and a whole section duplicated. Many thanks to those who pointed them out, your assumptions were correct – as one of you put it, I was ‘half baked’ (thanks Trouble). Please forgive me – it was New Year’s Day after all.

Tonight’s edition of Sheldon’s Times will hopefully be more coherent. After a quick word on Lockdown III operating procedures we have an update on this week’s labour of love – our annual stocktake. A new article follows, highlighting one of the great fellow businesses we have in Shipston. Over the next few weeks we will put different Shipston businesses in the spotlight, all of which have a common theme – quality. Finally we are giving you advance warning of a soon-to-be-announced Bin End Sale. Many of you will be thrashing about saying “But Shane doesn’t do discounts!” Think about it as a way of us clearing space for new stock, and at the same time giving you a bargain. Whispering Angel anyone?

Sheldon’s Operating Procedures for Lockdown III

 

 

There is not much to say regarding Lockdown III other than a general sense of deja vu. We are grateful that we are categorised as an ‘essential service’ and as such can remain open to serve you. Many of you will elect to stay at home, we are taking orders over the telephone (01608 661409) and email (shane@sheldonswines.com). Deliveries locally are free. We are also open to shoppers and the usual rules apply – facemarks please, respect social distancing for both the benefit of other shoppers and the Sheldon’s team members and please be patient if we have to restrict the number of people in the shop. We have hand sanitiser for you to use when you enter and we are on hand to help you find what you are after swiftly and efficiently.

Sheldon’s Annual Stocktake Complete

While it is a little self-indulgent to talk about our own internal processes, it seems right that we should share with you the key stats from the annual stocktake that we completed today.

 

 

Bottles in the shop: 22,817
Accuracy of stock: – 21 bottles
Counting Winner: Amanda

Of course I am deeply unhappy about us having been inaccurate by 21 bottles, but Esther assures me that this is not too bad considering the overall total. We’ll try harder over the course of this year, I simply will not accept this level of error this time next year… 🙂

Many thanks to all of you for bearing with us while we completed this major annual project. Closing the shop for 4 days was a big decision but it allowed us to press on with only minor interruptions resulting in higher accuracy and speed than we would otherwise achieve. And for those of you who came and rapped on the door, rang the bell, called on the phone and generally wouldn’t give up until we served you – we thank you too. Those minor distractions were also welcome.

Why is the stocktake so important? An accurate picture of our stock means we can serve you with confidence regarding the wines available, we can identify gaps in inventory, source new wines in interesting new categories and generally run a better business. Ultimately you should be the beneficiary of the exercise. Thank you again for your patience. We are now OPEN FOR BUSINESS again.

Stay Local
Shipston on Stour
The town with (almost) everything

A key point in the Government’s messaging is Stay Local. We are blessed with a number of market towns in our vicinity each of which seems capable of meeting almost all of our general needs. Shipston is no exception. In the next few editions of Sheldon’s Times I thought we would take a pause from the Who Am I? article and highlight a number of the local businesses in the town that subscribe to the same ethos as us – quality first. Many will be familiar to you but perhaps we might mention somewhere you have not yet tried.

Turners Grocery Store and Fish Shop
5 Market Place, Tel 01608 661545

 

 

Turners is a bit of an institution. Paul Turner has been running the shop for 18 years. With his dedicated, knowledgable team of 7 they make it their business to source locally where possible with a real emphasis on the quality of their products. Turners is the undisputed king of fruit and veg in the town. The shop is unrivalled with the most amazing selection of fresh fish and seafood – by far the best in the area.

 

 

A bit like Sheldon’s, you will get the best out of Turners by having a conversation with Paul or another member of the Turners team. Talk to them about what you are cooking and they will help. Fresh lobster? See you on Friday. Smoked salmon? Sliced or a whole side? Soft, squishy, caramel flavoured Medjool dates? Right here. And tomatoes that taste, well, like tomatoes. Like any good independent specialist they may also be able to prepare your fish for you (skin off, filleted, boiled if lobster, etc). Over Christmas I had squid (fabulous scored and quick-fried with a little chorizo), potted brown shrimp (on brown toast), a side of smoked salmon (whenever I felt like it) and prawns the size of sausages (tossed in a hot chilli and garlic butter). Proper sprouts too. Not the toddlers in the supermarket, proper golf ball sized ones. Paul gets up at 3.30am most days to go to the market to source the very best for you. If you haven’t given Turners a try, do so, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Then bask in the warm glow of having supported another local business while following Government guidance at the same time.

Stay Local – support Turners!
Sheldon’s Bin End Sale – advance notice

 

 

The stocktake inevitably reveals wines that are surplus. This is usually because we want to move forward to the next vintage of a wine or because we are planning to discontinue a line. Other reasons may include minor damage to bottles (nicked or stained labels, damaged capsule etc). This January we are planning to move some wines at a discounted price to make space for new lines and vintages. More details to follow, expect more information in next week’s email.

But to get you started, here’s the first offer. We have some bottles of rose left over from last season and we have decided to put both Chateau de la Deidiere 2019 (our ‘house’ Provence rose) and Whispering Angel 2019 on offer to make way for new vintage stocks.

Chateau de la Deidiere 2019 75cl bottles – usually £12.50, now down to £10 a bottle.

Whispering Angel 2019 75cl bottles – usually £18.99, now down to £15 a bottle.

 

 

I know it isn’t really rose weather, but on the upside we did dodge the snow today. I say put the heating on, pop a straw hat on and a Hawaiian shirt and pull a cork from a bottle of cool rose before dinner. It might just remind you of the summer last year, or encourage you to think of the one ahead.

Limited quantities, while stocks last or until I change my mind. WIGIG. Fill your boots.

More offers to follow – things to cheer us up as we work our way through January.

That just about does it for tonight’s edition of Sheldon’s Times. Nick at Paddock Farm promised me he’d so a similar stock count. Not of wine of course, but of sausages made at the Butchery. I suspect it eclipses the bottle count here in our ‘off-licence’.

Shane, Amanda, Esther, Nigel, Trish & Carol

Your bog-eyed-from-counting-bottles wine (whine) team at Sheldon’s Wine Cellars