New bottle shop offers quality beer and wine

Worthing's new bottle shop has had a bumper first weekend.
Tom Flint with some of the selection at Bottle & Jug Dept in Worthing DM1851291aTom Flint with some of the selection at Bottle & Jug Dept in Worthing DM1851291a
Tom Flint with some of the selection at Bottle & Jug Dept in Worthing DM1851291a

Bottle & Jug Dpt opened in South Farm Road on Friday and fans of quality beers and wines were quick to take advantage.

The business is run by Tom Flint, in partnership with John Azzopardi and Aaron Burns from Brooksteed Alehouse, over the road.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Tom said: “The main focus is on craft beers and real ale, sold in bottle and cans, as well as from casks. It is an extension of what we do at the Brooksteed.

“On the wine side, we are focusing on natural and low-intervention wines, organic and biodynamic wine from all over the world. It is about wine makers going against commercial wine making, so they are using very little pesticides and chemicals in the production process. It means the wines taste as they should.

“Wine is sold by the bottle and as takeout from KeyKegs, in bottle bags or in customers’ own bottles. Some are unfined, so they will be hazy wines.

“A lot of the drinks are at the high end of the market, with provenance, so if you really care about organic meat, you can now think about your drink choices as well.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Tom, 35, has been a food writer for the last couple of years and previously worked for the NHS in public sector middle management.

He met John and Aaron when he wrote a feature on their Gin and Bear It pop-up bar for ETC magazine, the Herald’s sister publication, a couple of years ago.

Tom said: “When they took over the Brooksteed, doing bar work fitted in perfectly with my quitting my job at the NHS and taking up food and drink writing.

“I had been toying with the idea of doing wine in Worthing but we are restricted for space in the Brooksteed. John and Aaron were thinking about how to build on what they have when they noticed the Michael’s Cycles shop up for lease, which was perfect.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Part of it comes from the fact we have little storage at the Brooksteed and there is so much we could be offering but we can’t with the limits on size.

“The range at Bottle & Jug Dpt is more extensive, with a strong emphasis on organic, vegan and quality.

“We will be ordering stock together and there will be a nice, interesting range of beer which keeps changing, just like at the Brooksteed. It is a nice place to go and it is independent.”

READ MORE