A “wine snob” ghost is lurking in the cellar of a pub making its feelings known about the house wine, it has been claimed.

The ghost, named Corky by regulars at the Court Oak pub in Harborne, Birmingham, apparently has very strong opinions about the wine list.

The pub, part of the Sizzling chain, is built on the site of a 17th century hanging ground, sparking speculation that Corky may be the ghost of someone who died there years ago.

Pub manager Anne Tyler said the ghost had given its opinion about the wine on offer every Halloween for the last few years.

She said smashed bottles of red and white house wine were discovered in the cellar until the selection was upgraded.

Nuala Gallagher, of Sizzling Pubs, said: “It isn’t so much things that go bump in the night as things going smash in the night at the Court Oak.

“People have spotted the figure of a man, aged about 60, behind the bar and the staff have felt his presence numerous times over the years.