Grape Minds

03/04/2024

We’re over the moon to learn tonight that we are finalists for the Muddy Stilettos Wine And Beer Specialist of the year award!

There’s some other great finalists in our category but if you think we deserve a vote, please go here:

https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/awards/categories

A shout out to friends who are up for an award too:

Best Bar: Summertown Wine Bar
Best Casual Dining: The Back Lane Tavern
Best Restaurant: Five Little Pigs

We think these amazing three venues deserve a vote too!!

-independent

We love to connect with like-minded brands and clients. If you’re interested in working with us , click here for national and regional contacts.

08/03/2024

Congrats to the team up the road! Pls give them a vote everyone!

Welcome to the Ox In A Box Food Awards 2024 and here is our first category Best Newcomer 2023/2024, listed in alphabetical order: It's Welcome to the Ox In A Box Food Awards 2024 and here is our first category Best Newcomer 2023/2024,

24/02/2024

We’re celebrating the weekend in Summertown with this delicious Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley open to taste!

Domaine des Mailloches is an 8th generation winery located in the heart of the Bourgueil appellation.

Deep and intense with dominant blackcurrant and raspberry fruit character and supple, rich mouthfeel. This wonderfully food-friendly wine matches well with roasted lamb, pâté or grilled spring greens.

domainedesmailloches

23/02/2024

Graeme had a great time hosting a Super Spain! tasting last night at . For £20 a ticket 16 guests got to enjoy Spanish classics like Cava, Albarino, Rioja but also some unbelievable wines like Vina Gravonia all accompanied by Spanish Cheese and Charcuterie boards.

Tastings tend to be weekly in Wallingford and Summertown and are a great way to explore grapes/regions/styles of wines, meet new people and have a great laugh!
🍷🍾🇪🇸🧀

10/02/2024

Open to taste in Summertown we have this delicious Cabernet Sauvignon from

A rich Margaret River Cab with an abundance of juicy black fruit, cassis, mocha and sweet spice with a hint of eucalyptus on the finish.

Pop in and try it for yourself! !

25/01/2024

Hidden gems wine tasting on the 9th February 7:00pm don’t miss out!! 🍇 Join Gillian down a trip down some of the less familiar byroads of the wine world, as we taste some of our favourite recent discoveries (and redescoveries!) from lesser known regions and grape varieties. Refresh your palate and maybe find a new favourite 🎉 Call us on 01865 661749 and save your place!

17/01/2024

🍇 Exciting News at Grape Minds! 🍷 Introducing three new stars to our collection: dive into the exotic flavors of Italian Fiano, savor the intense aromas of South African Chenin Blanc, and experience the floral and zesty notes of Loire’s Sauvignon Blanc!

11/01/2024

06/01/2024

Come and taste some of our favourite Italian Reds on the 26th January 🍇 When Michael and Graeme first met, they bonded over a shared love of the red wines from Italy. Powerful, elegant, rich and poised, there’s something for everyone on the world’s most famous boot…

06/01/2024

South Africa Wine Tasting at the Summertown Grape Minds shop on the 19th January at 7:15🥂 Enjoy a Friday evening drinking South Africa’s best wines 🍇🍷

06/01/2024

Join Michael at the Grape Minds Shop (Summertown) for an evening enjoying USA’s best wines 🍇🥂

06/01/2024

Come join our South Africa wine tasting on the 19th February at the Summertown Wine Bar 🍇🍷 Enjoy an evening drinking South Africa’s finest Wines ⭐️

06/01/2024

Join Michael at the Summertown Wine Bar for a USA wine tasting and enjoy a Friday evening drinking USA’s finest wines! 🍷🍇

06/01/2024

🍇Join us for our first wine tasting of 2024🍇 An exclusive Austrian wine tasting with the phenomenal winemaker Ralph Waldschütz on the 2nd February at 6pm at the Summertown Wine Bar. Explore the flavors of Wagram through Ralph’s exceptional Gruner Veltliner, Riesling, and Zweigelt. 🌟 Tickets are only £15 per person – an evening of exquisite wines awaits. Don’t miss out! 🍷 Book your tickets here: https://grapemindsdrinkalike.co.uk/events

04/01/2024

Our friends at Oxford Fine Dining are hiring!

EXCITING OPPORTUNITY FOR A Logistics and Events Supervisor
Maternity Cover – Fixed Term Contract One Year - 4 day a week position, 32 hours

Oxford Fine Dining continues to be an outstanding and exciting company, specialising in delivering ambitious wedding and event catering throughout Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds.

We are looking for an enthusiastic individual who is passionate about delivering outstanding service and possess impeccable attention to detail to provide Maternity Cover for our Logistics and Events Supervisor.

As a catering business we are extremely proud of the trusted reputation we have gained over the past 16 years. We are privileged to be preferred caterers by many of Oxford’s most esteemed and prestigious venues and have an extensive and impressive portfolio of weddings, corporate events, university gatherings and private dining experiences.
Commitment to supporting our staff through ongoing professional development and associated training is a core element of our business. We are a close-knit and friendly team with a wealth of experience and knowledge and look forward to expanding our professional family.

To apply please send a copy of your CV with a cover letter to Norma Bennett at [email protected] Full job description available on request. Closing date for applications is 18th January 2024. Interviews week beginning 22nd January 2024.

03/01/2024

What a lovely review from Bitten Oxford for a wonderful evening lead by Georgia and Emily.

Watch this space for more collabs, more with Georgia and lots more tastings!

I was kindly invited to this very exciting collaboration evening, and what a treat! Summertown Wine Bar opened in March 2023, so not a year old yet, and has already collected its ‘regulars& #8…

27/12/2023

Really pleased to be working alongside the Red Lion Deddington! A wonderful village pub with great beer, amazing food and of course, excellent wines!

We have some new wines at The Red. 🍷🍷🍷
We would like to say thank you to Grape Minds (Oxfordshire's independent wine specialist) and Vaughan Jones for hosting a wine tasting evening at the pub, it was attended by some of our regulars who selflessly worked their way through the wine list. Based on the excellent feedback we are now serving some of these wines.
Cheers 🍾

01/12/2023

Happy 5th Birthday to us! 🎉🥳🥂

Just like that, Grape Minds has turned 5! It doesn’t seem 5 minutes ago let alone 5 years ago we opened our wonderful shop in South Parade, but, since then:

2 Shops
16 Staff
Helped create Summertown Wine Bar
Over 600,000bottles sold
Over 7500 different customers served
Drinks Retailing Awards - Newcomer of the Year finalist 2020
Oxfordshire Business Awards - Retailer of the Year 2022
Some great memories!

Who knows what the next 5 years will hold…

Cheers 🥂🍷

16/11/2023

Happy Beaujolais Nouveau day everyone! The wine has arrived in the nick of time and is already heading out the door! Just 120 bottles available between both our stores and it’ll be available this weekend by the glass at

17/10/2023

Wine Festival 28th October, and meet Emily! -

Tasting Events We’ve added more new events added to our website for both our Summertown and Wallingford stores, and there are still a few places left for our Italian and Rhone Valley tastings in the next week as well as the festival.

06/09/2023

September is Festival Month here at Grape Minds -

This week for Grape Minds is bookended by two of the most fun weekends in our calendar. Last weekend we had a stand at Wallingford's Bunkfest, serving 16 different wines by the glass. This weekend, alongside many other merchants and winemakers, we are at the Oxford Union for the Oxford Wine Festival...

03/09/2023

That’s a wrap on for us at Grape Minds.

Thanks to all the organisers, volunteers and all our wonderful customers, it’s been a wonderful 3 days!

Thanks to Stephane too for a plentiful supply of Tarte Flambee

01/09/2023

We’re off and running at next to our good neighbours . We are both situated close to the main stage, so come visit for a glass of vino and a Tarte Flambee

11/08/2023

What a lovely article from the Oxford Mail for our sister venue Summertown Wine Bar

A wine bar opened by three close friends in Oxford has established itself as the place to go for “unusual” and “fascinating” wines that are…

07/07/2023

Limited Edition Box - Summer Tastings - Vinho Verde -

One of the hardest parts of running a wine merchant, aside from the glamour and near-constant partying essential to the job, is discovering a brilliant wine that you just don’t have room on the shelf for yet. Gone are the days of squeezing a couple more on a spare edge: if we want a new wine, we h...

05/07/2023

We had a superb night last night showcasing some of the amazing wines have on their wine list. Superb to run into so many great Oxford indies too!!

30/06/2023

Another amazing Friday night tasting . Tonight is a Gruner Veltliner Exploration led by the from . A superb night with a full house!!

09/06/2023

Grape Minds June Update -

Our latest tasting box includes a couple of stunning new wines, perfect for enjoying the summer sunshine, now it is finally here! We’ve taken 6 summery French wines, which are not only delicious, they’re a bargain as well…

23/05/2023

A sneak peak of what’s new for us this week at SWB!
Outside seating for 32 guests across 8 tables in construction earlier today!!