Latest on new wine bar opening in Oxford High Street

Oxford Wine Group's latest venue is to open later this month on the High Street, its owners have revealed.

Last month the wine group announced The Oxford Wine Cellar will open on the corner of Oxford High Street and King Edward Street, just a stone’s throw away from Sandy’s Piano Bar, one of the group’s other venues. 

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The exact opening date will be announced soon.

Set over two floors it will welcome guests for drinks, tapas-style food and coffee every day of the week.

Construction work is reaching its final stages to transform the basement into a traditional wine cellar while upstairs will feature a large bar and expansive seating area.

Recently named the top independent wine merchant in the UK, The Oxford Wine Group insists The Oxford Wine Cellar will be an unmissable destination for anyone with an interest in wine in the city.

George Sandbach, a director of The Oxford Wine Group, said: “At the moment, there are very few bars where you can get a decent glass of wine in the city centre but the Oxford Wine Cellar is here to change that.

“Our mission is to make wine fun and accessible to everyone.

"We want the Wine Cellar to act as a gateway into the world of wine so we will be offering our guests some of the best examples of all types of wine from around the world.

"With over 200 bottles on offer, spanning all regions and styles, we are confident we have something for every palette.

“Exciting wines and passionate, customer focused staff have helped to make the Wine Café a truly unique offering in Jericho over the last eight years so this is something we are striving to mirror in our new venue.”

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The venue will be managed by Laura Perez de Albeniz and Jazz Barker who are transferring to the Oxford Wine Cellar from sister site the Jericho Wine Café.

Both held senior management positions in Jericho and bring with them years of industry experience.

“Our newly appointed managers, Laura and Jazz, both have fantastic wine knowledge and have a strong track record of delivering exceptional customer experiences so will help us land on the scene in Oxford with a bang,” said Mr Sandbach.

“Whether you’re a wine buff or you don’t know the difference between a Sauvignon Blanc and a Pinot Blanc, the new team, which has been carefully selected because of its expertise and passion, will be on hand to guide you and help you make the right selection.”

Laura Perez de Albeniz, general manager of the Oxford Wine Cellar, added: “For some people, the wine world is completely alien. There is a lot of jargon and pretentiousness around it. But that’s not what we are about at the Oxford Wine Group.

“Working with unique and independent producers, we have curated a wine list that is bold, interesting and fun. We hope this will put us on the map in Oxford."

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The Oxford Wine Company, which now stocks more than 2,000 wines, beers and spirits, was founded in 1992 by Ted Sandbach.

It has just been named as the Top Independent Wine Merchant in the UK by Harpers Wine and Spirit, the leading drinks industry publication.

It remains a family company.

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

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