Rachel
Ad Hoc is hands down one of the best independent wine shops in Manchester — and before anything else, let me be clear: this is not a reflection on the staff, who were flawless. Knowledgeable, friendly, patient, and somehow still smiling through chaos. We’ve been at least six times and the quality and consistency from the team is always spot on. We attended their Sunday tasting, which gave access to 50+ wines. What began as a classy wine tasting quickly mutated into what can only be described as an unsanctioned bottomless brunch. Sadly, the event was commandeered by four unruly middle-aged women and a handful of others who appeared to believe they’d purchased an all-inclusive wristband. They parked themselves directly in front of the bottles like they were defending territory, refused to move when others tried to taste, delivered theatrical eye rolls when asked politely, and proceeded to down what must have been 3–4 bottles of wine each with the enthusiasm of people training for a marathon they misunderstood. When the event ended at 6pm (which aligns perfectly with Sunday opening hours, by the way), one of the women, who had clearly formed a deep emotional bond with the red wine, loudly complained she still had 20 wines left to taste. After already drinking the equivalent of a small vineyard. Even better? None of them bought a single bottle. Not one. We arrived at 2pm and they already seemed halfway through their “journey,” meaning they’d likely been gulping wine for a solid 5–6 hours. For a £15 ticket at an independent wine shop, that’s… a choice. A wine tasting is not a bottomless brunch. Nor is it an all-inclusive bar. I think future events could benefit from some gentle guardrails, maybe staff serving glasses or limiting refills, purely to stop people treating the place like a hen do with better lighting. Once again, the staff were exceptional and deserve medals for professionalism. I just wish some attendees had brought manners, self-awareness, and maybe a sense of shame.
