A lot of you read my “interview” with Feral Art & Vin in Bordeaux last month. I think I mentioned that it was the first in a short series on wine shops which rock my wine world, and for the next three retailers I’m staying in the UK. I want to write about some of the people who have sold me quite a bit of wine over the years, and who have made me want to buy more.

Why wine shops? Well, I do love browsing, for records and books as much as wine. I guess some people like to sit at a computer and order, whilst others like a more tactile shopping experience. I will say that almost every time I go into a wine, record or book shop something leaps off the shelf that I didn’t know I was going to buy when I went in. Not always good for the wallet, but nevertheless it’s worth it for the pleasure of discovery.

I do buy wine direct from importers, many of whom have online shops, but right now my particular circumstances make it difficult to wait for deliveries, and challenging to afford to order a case quantity. Hopefully that will have eased by summer when we finally get to move into our new place. But wine shops add a lot of value to the buying experience. They do a lot in their community (I’ll bet wine shops do more charitable stuff than most), and consumers get an opportunity to go to tastings or other events, where they not only try new wines but will meet fellow wine lovers.

More than anything, for me at least, being a regular customer in a wine shop means a chance to have a relationship with the staff. This can be especially beneficial if they can let you know when things are coming in, and even stick the odd bottle aside until you can make it in person. That doesn’t always work. One retailer, who shall remain nameless, put up a new batch of Jura wines, from a producer I’ve not tried, on Instagram one day after they despatched some bottles to me.

So, who are we covering this month? If you read my “Recent Wines” articles you will notice that Butlers Wine Cellar (they don’t use an apostrophe so I won’t) comes up with some frequency as a source. I probably buy a lot less from them now that I live so far away, but when we lived in Brighton I was often pleased they were on the other side of town (for bank balance reasons). I always argue that people are important, and Henry and Cassie are amazing human beings as well as being talented wine pros. Henry is pretty much a legend in Brighton, that’s no exaggeration.

Butlers was established in 1979 by Henry Butler’s father. He’d been involved in a restaurant in Brighton, but that was pretty challenging with a small baby. He got a job in London in the whisky industry but wine was his real passion, so he set up the Sussex Wine Appreciation Society, effectively a tasting club. Members wanted to buy the wines tasted so the family home became full of boxes. Henry said that one day a stack of them fell on his parents’ bed, and his mum said either stop or get a shop. The famous original Butlers shop on Queen’s Park Road came up and it had a cellar for all those cases, so the company and the name were born.

Some of the original wines were amazing. All so-called classic wines, mostly French, German and fortifieds, but many from pre-War (WWII) vintages and some even dating back into the 1800s. I recall my own first visits in the 1990s when we moved down to Brighton. It was before I’d discovered natural wines, and it was what seemed like an endless supply of well-aged classed growth Bordeaux which first grabbed me.

Around 2000 Henry’s parents separated and Henry bought his father out, taking over the business. From then on, the selection became much wider. Next was a second shop, opened around thirteen years ago (hardly feels like that long). I remember one Brighton wine seller was expanding and looking for new locations. I think that prompted Henry and his wife and business partner, Cassie Butler-Gould, to just go for it.

It turned out to be a good move because the new shop, in Kemp Town’s St Georges Road (just east of the city centre), is in a much better area for passing trade and for retail in general. The old shop was out on its own. When issues arose with the Queen’s Park store during the Covid lockdowns, it was just easy to make St George’s Road Butlers’ base. All the wine in one location, the one which saw the most customer footfall, though leaving premises they had occupied for forty years was a little traumatic.

Henry and Cassie at St George’s Road, Brighton Kemp Town

Butlers began as a retailer noted for Bordeaux above all else. If my memory is correct, I first saw their name in an advert they regularly placed in Decanter Magazine, so when we moved to Brighton it was on my list to visit. Gradually that changed. California somehow became a specialisation. Henry won a trade trip to California, which may have helped. It led to Henry meeting, and becoming close friends with, California specialist James Hocking. You will still find some rare Californian treats hidden away on the list, most being sold online to collectors and fans.

I can remember the likes of Peter Michael wines on the shelf when their importer was virtually rationing it. Henry mentions labels like Donelan, Somnium, Kistler, Moone Tsai and Onda. It’s well worth checking out their range, closer to forty lines than the 200 Californian cuvées they once stocked, but you can still get a bottle of Peter Michael’s stunning 2014 “Les Pavots” (which I remember buying back in its first vintage from Lay & Wheeler) if you have a spare £270. Or maybe an Ovid Hexameter 2013 for £450? Don’t worry, there is much to be had for £20-£40 a bottle. I’m more likely to buy Birichino these days.

There are perhaps three further areas where Butlers seem to have a genuine specialisation, and these are varied to say the least. English Wine, especially the sparkling variety, has been a long-time specialism, which is probably to be expected from a shop near so many great Sussex vineyards. Back in the day, Henry’s parents knew Peter and Christine Hall at Breaky Bottom, and Henry remembers visiting the farm when he was small. Back then it was still wine and pigs rather than sparkling wine and sheep. Henry and Cassie remain great friends with the Halls, and great supporters of their wines. Definitely a source for back vintages at a reasonable price. If it’s not there on the web site, do ask.

Butlers has worked with Ridgeview since the 1990s, also being friends with the Roberts family. They also got on with Dermot Sugrue right from the off. Having sold Wiston through Dermot’s era as Chief Winemaker, they are now championing the Sugrue South Downs wines that Dermot and Ana are making closer to Brighton. Not that these star cuvées need much championing. Henry and Cassie are now neighbours with Dermot and Ana.

Henry insists that to get a listing the wines must be both good, and good value. One new addition they particularly rate (and which I’ve not tried, and although I’ve spotted the label, I can’t find them in any of the four books on English wine I own) is Everflyht, a vineyard at the foot of Ditchling Beacon, the famous steep ascent towards the end of the London to Brighton cycle ride. Worth noting because they are less steeply priced than many of the newer English estates which seem to enter the market at above £50 more often than not these days. The Everflyht Brut is usually retailing for somewhere either side of £30.

Equally, both Henry and Cassie like working with producers they really get along with. In the same way that I have found their relationships with customers matter, so it goes for winemakers. It’s certainly true that Peter and Christine Hall, and Dermot Sugrue (I haven’t met his partner, Ana) are among the most fabulous wine people you could wish to meet.

Then comes Portugal. Butlers has consistently promoted Portugal so I asked why? Cassie says that Henry’s dad began selling Portuguese wine in the 1970s. I remember some veritable gems on the shelf in the 90s. It’s simply the amazing quality and value for money that attracted Henry and his father, and now they like nothing more than explaining the flavours to open-minded customers. It’s also the proliferation of small and “sustainable” producers which appeals.

“They are such food-friendly wines too” says Cassie, and I only refrain from mentioning some of the mouthwatering food matches she describes because I am going to have to start cooking myself pretty soon and my stomach is rumbling. Plus, Cassie’s dad, aunts and extended family live in Portugal now, so they visit more than anywhere else. Cassie says “we will always be a go-to place for Portuguese wines and we never stop seeking out new ones”.

The other area of specialisation is South Africa. Butlers has always excelled in their selection, but I must mention here the amazing Pieter Walser and his Blank Bottle Winery. Although Blank Bottle is imported by the excellent Swig agency, Henry and Cassie have a special relationship with Pieter. Cassie calls Blank Bottle her “Mastermind subject”. Cassie met him first and was very much taken with the wines, and indeed their labels.

Anyone who knows the whole Blank Bottle range (of which many are unrepeated one-offs) will know exactly what Cassie means about the labels, several of which Pieter farms out to his kids, who earn pocket money royalties per bottle sold. It just so happens that the wine inside the bottle matches expectations.

After a boozy lunch in London with a group of South African producers, Henry and Cassie proposed Pieter create some exclusive bottlings for Butlers, which he agreed to. For the next three vintages Butlers had their own bottles, labelled with the likes of Brighton Pier, plus nods to Henry and Cassie (the near legendary Gothus cuvée). The labels are all very apt, although they did have to get a machine gun removed from “It Is What It Is”.

Two of the exclusive Blank Bottle cuvées – It is What it is and Gothus (Pieter’s take on Cassie)

Here’s Cassie: “I can’t say enough good things about Pieter and his wines. I just wish the prices hadn’t gone up so much as they have become a much more premium range. That said, we will always have a range of these wines available. They are really excellent and Pieter is a total dude”! I’ll second that.

Butlers are special in that they are very much a community-based operation. They are very “Brighton”, meaning that in the most positive sense. Being Brighton’s oldest wine shop, and Henry’s amazing local reputation, has allowed them to become part of so much going on in the city, and they have raised more than £50,000 together for local charities, as well as assisting events which have raised many times more.

Their individual commitment to local issues comes via their involvement with Brighton Crew Club, a youth centre/project in a low-income area which provides a safe place for children, food banks and a community hub. They feed many children regularly. Henry is Chair and Cassie is a Trustee, but they are very hands-on with Crew Club.

Cassie says “having had a colourful childhood it has been very important to me to get involved with the voiceless, so I spend a lot of my time working with children and animals”.

Cassie is also an Ambassador for Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare, and is a passionate animal activist. Although she didn’t mention it, I can tell you that I’ve also seen the pics on social media which demonstrate just how much of Brighton’s wild fauna gets fed in their back garden, not to mention their pets, which now includes an adorable rescue dog and a cat which seems to like trying to steal whatever beverage Henry has poured for that particular evening. Cassie again: “I feel passionately about the treatment of animals and the direct link between animal and human abuse”.

Asking the pair what they are drinking at home at the moment, Henry complained he is always buying way too much. He says “I’m really enjoying the wines of Alto Adige from Terlaner and Nals Margreid. I’ve also been drinking a lot of good value Bourgogne Blancs and Aligoté”. For a treat, Henry also admits to often taking something from California home with him.

Saying this, Henry does admit that “at home I drink anything and everything, as is often pointed out to me”. I know what he means! Cassie has shifted from a vodka Dry Martini to Tequila and Margaritas. She’s also playing with new cocktail flavours and dabbling (like me when I can) in sake. With a Belgian mum, she also likes fruit beers, her really guilty pleasure being Fruli Strawberry (I have one in the fridge too, shhh!)

Tastings always feature in the Calendar, a recent very successful tasting being focussed on Piemonte (led by Michael Palij MW). Upcoming events include White Wines from Around the World (with Lenka Sedlakova MW) on 12 April, the Spring Italian Wine Festival at St Mary’s Church on 26 April, and a charity tasting for the Raystede Centre (mentioned above) on 21 June (all details at butlers-winecellar.co.uk ).

The success of tastings at Butlers proves how open-minded and keen Brighton people are to try new things, and of course with so many residents commuting to London there’s a healthy customer base able to afford the more expensive offerings alongside the great value wines which I feel they do so well.

As well as a blog and a podcast, they often have some highly entertaining material on Instagram, not least Henry’s Blind Tasting challenges. Henry is one of the best Blind Tasters you will ever meet, years of experience in quality…and probably quantity too.

I ended asking Henry and Cassie about what trading is like in the current economic climate. Always honest, they didn’t duck or fudge the issues. Costs have gone up and are still increasing, customers are cautious about discretionary spend on alcohol and “some wholesale accounts appear to be in a fragile position”, something every wine merchant in the UK would echo. “However, we dig in and continue to find great wines we want to share with customers, and our tastings are very well attended”.

That last comment doesn’t surprise me. Most independent wine retailers are people who have a passion for what they sell. It’s not a calling in which to make a fortune. They plough a lot back into their community, but that means they have a wonderful reputation, both as people and for what they sell. If their business is split between wholesale to bars and restaurants etc, internet and mail order sales, and retail customers visiting the shop, a whopping 40% of business is direct retail. I think Henry, Cassie and their diverse staff are just so nice to chat about wine with. They certainly deserve our support.

Butlers Wine Cellar

88 St George’s Road (in Kemp Town), Brighton BN2 1EE

Tel 01273 621638

Open Tues, Weds, Thurs 12pm – 6pm, Fri and Sat 12pm – 7pm, closed Monday.

Web Site – butlers-winecellar.co.uk