Exciting news for north Londoners: a new bottle shop and deli has opened within the Hexagon Classics car showroom in East Finchley. A collaboration between the Hexagon team and wine expert Bert Blaize, Bottles ’N’ Jars – named after the Cockney rhyming slang for ‘cars’, in homage to the location – is on hand to recharge and refuel the local community. Alongside the hundreds of wines individually selected by Blaize, co-author of bestselling wine bible, Which Wine When, you’ll find freshly baked bread, exclusive coffee blends from Notes, and cheese selected by north London cheese expert Holly Chaves of Wine & Rind. Expect, also, a huge selection of luxury grocery and pantry essentials – think jars of salted caramel figs, vinegars infused with cherries, organic small-batch olive oils and dried pastas from Italy (or, for the more ambitious customer, the perfect flour to make your own). And, pandemic permitting, there’ll be a series of masterclasses, tastings and talks on offer, too. Blaize says: “I’m really looking forward to chatting people though their choices, getting to know our locals and creating a fun and interactive space for wine lovers.”
82-92 Great North Road, N2 (020 3714 8380; bottlesnjars.co.uk)