And only 2.5 days to stop in and stock up…
Hours of Operation
Monday - Tuesday, 10am to 6pm
Wednesday - Saturday, 10am to 8pm
Calendar 🗓
January events coming soon…
Store News 🏬
No news is good news. We’re still comfortably stocked to help get you through this upcoming holiday weekend.
Wine News🍷
What wine are you drinking for Christmas? Personally, I put back an older vintage Australian that I’ll have. The last time I did this… the wine was bad. There’s nothing worse than pouring a very expensive bottle of wine down the drain. So, I learned my lesson: always have a spare to fall back on. Yeah, I’m that guy. I choose a superb bottle each year to enjoy with our Christmas dinner. Now, I don’t care if you want a special, expensive bottle or a special something in that cheap and cheerful range --- either way, we’ve got it for you.
Dan’s Feature ⭐️
This week’s feature will be three different reds… whatever should be on the table for Christmas dinner. I’m suggesting three beautiful reds: a Grand Cru Bordeaux, a big California Cabernet, and a delicious Oregon Pinot Noir. While I’ve featured all of these wines before, they’re so good and so well-priced that these are my Christmas dinner selections. The first is a Grand Cru Bordeaux, the 2015 Château Fleur Cardinale. This wine is beauty and checks in as a blend of 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, brought up all in new oak. A price of $84.99 for a 96-point Grand Cru makes this a Christmas Miracle. Our next selection is from the cellars of Ken Wright, their 2022 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. It is a steal at $29.99, described by them as having, "a brilliant core of red and bramble fruits dances with hints of cedar, passion fruit, rose petal, and turned earth. The palate is balanced, with a plush texture and a vibrant, juicy finish." We certainly wouldn’t disagree with this statement. Last and certainly not least is the Dunn Vineyards 2019 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon at $136.99. Okay, okay, it’s pricey, but hey, it’s Christmas. This is a masculine Cabernet --- big, powerful, and bold. You probably need a nice cut of beef to tame this 90+ renowned selection. These are the bottles we’re considering to take home for this weekend's events, so they’re also the ones that we’ve chosen to share with you.
Dan’s Pick 🥂
Well, if there are three reds, there has to be three whites… French Chablis, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, and a store favorite Pinot Grigio. I just recommended my first selection a couple of weeks ago: Joseph Drouhin’s 2021 Vaudon Chablis. The winemaker's notes describe this Chardonnay as, "a dry and fruity wine, easy to drink. Its colour is pale gold with greenish hues. Very fresh aromas reminiscent of citrus (lemon or grapefruit); small pleasant touches of fern or coriander are found as well. On the palate, dry and fruity, with mineral notes. Pleasant and long aftertaste." This $36.99 bottle should satisfy almost anyone at the dinner table, be they a Chardonnay drinker or not. The next wine is from New Zealand, so of course it has to be a Sauvignon Blanc. Cloudy Bay was once written to be the finest example of Sauvignon Blanc in the world, and while I have some reservations as to that claim, I will say that this wine is an exceptional example of what Marlborough produces. The Cloudy Bay 2022 Sauvignon Blanc, "has a zesty and vibrant nose, with notes of juicy citrus and makrut lime underpinned by subtle white nectarine and passionfruit notes. The palate is mouthwatering, with ripe vibrant passionfruit and citrus at the fore. These meld with tropical hints of peach and guava, gently balanced by stony saline notes." It is a favorite of Sauv Blanc drinkers and priced at $36.99, so it's a real contender for space on the table. We’ll finish this week's picks with an old favorite from Italia, Abbazia di Novacella 2022 Pinot Grigio from Alto Adige. I’ve always found this wine to be the finest expression of Pinot Grigio that I’ve tasted, and at $24.99 a bottle, it wouldn’t hurt to have two on the table. This wine has already been very popular this week, and so while currently out of stock, it will be back in on Friday afternoon. Sharing a few of our favorite things, we won’t steer you wrong.
Food News 🦃
Prime Rib, Beef Tenderloin, a full rack of Veal, fresh Salmon, King Crab, and Oysters. We still have all of these in stock for Christmas. Now, however, I’m turning my sights to New Year's Eve and of course New Year's Day. Mark my word --- we’ll have plenty of 8oz Tenderloins, Crab, Lobster, and Shrimp for the New Year's Eve festivities, and plenty of Pork and Sauerkraut for New Year's Day.
Oyster News 🦪
Raspberry Points are our specials Oysters for this week leading into Christmas. Those delivered on Tuesday were so good that we got another 100 for Thursday. Super fresh, very tasty oysters from where else but PEI.
Market Items 🛒
*Fresh Prime Rib - Bone-In or Boneless Ribeye - $21.99/lb
*Fresh Whole Demkota Choice Rib Roast - $18.99/lb (1 remaining)
*Fresh Dry-Aged Prime Ribeyes, 12oz - $39.99
*Fresh Whole Clean Tenderloins - $19.99/lb
*Fresh Oysters - $24 a dozen
*Fresh North Atlantic Salmon - $18.99/lb
*Fresh Double Bone-In Duroc Pork Chops - $12.99
*Fresh Veal Rack, 6-Bone - $18.99/lb (1 remaining)
Frozen Thor's Hammer - $6.99/lb (1 remaining)
Frozen Sakura Bone-In French 10-Bone Pork Racks - $8.99/lb
Frozen Duroc Dry Aged Bone-In Pork Chops, 14oz - $15.99
Frozen Whole BMS 6/7 Wagyu Tenderloin - $39.99/lb (1 remaining)
Frozen CAB Steak Burgers 4pk - $14.99
Frozen CAB Dry-Aged Ribeyes - $18.99/lb
Frozen Center Cut 8oz Beef Tenderloin Filets - $16.99
Frozen Choice Sirloin Cap Strip Steaks, 8oz - $9.99
Frozen Lamb Sirloin Roast - $22.99/lb
Frozen Lamb Rack, 2lbs - $49.99
Frozen Spiral Cut Dearborn Hams, approx. 9lb - $27.99
Frozen Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin - $12.99
Frozen Pre-Cooked Frozen BBQ Ribs (approx. 3lb racks) - $23.99
Frozen Bratwurst, 5pk - $8.99
Frozen Dearborn Knockwurst, 5pk - $8.99
Frozen Black Pepper Bacon - $14.99
Frozen Sashimi-Grade Ahi Tuna - $18.99/lb
Frozen Chilean Sea Bass, 6oz - $16.99
Frozen Buddy’s Detroit Style Pizzas (Veggie or Pepperoni) - $17.99
Frozen Ahi Saku Block Tuna AAA Sushi Grade, avg. 16oz - $19.99
Frozen U-13/15 Raw Jumbo Shrimp Deveined (2lb package) - $39.99
Frozen U-16/20 Raw Shrimp Deveined (1lb package) - $19.99
Frozen U-10 Scallops - $29.99/lb
Frozen Lobster Tails, 2pk - $35.99
Frozen King Crab Legs - $48.99/lb
Frozen Whole Petite Potatoes - $8.99
Frozen Oven-Roasted Potato Wedges - $8.99
Frozen Au Gratin Potatoes, 2pk - $4.99
Fresh/Frozen Bacchini Strozzapreti from Italy - $14.99/lb (serving for 2)
Fresh/Frozen Drake’s Pasta Ravioli (Veal or Butternut Squash) - $12.99/lb (serving for 2)
1932’s Pasta Sauce (Arrabbiata, Pomodorina with Fresh Basil, Pomodorina with Barolo) - $7.99
Maurizio Casarecce Dried Pasta from Italy (Casarecce, Spaghetti Chitarra, or Trofie) - $7.99
Ace Bakery Garlic Loaf - $5.50
Tribeca Bakery Bread (Rosemary or Asiago) - $5.50
New Wine🍷
No new wine for this week… just trying to keep the racks full.
New Beer 🍺
Lagunitas Willetized Coffee Stout, 6 pack bottles - $13.99
Abita Mardi Gras Bock, 6pk bottles - $10.99
Flying Dog Family Drama Imperial Pilsner, 6pk bottles - $17.99
Findlay Brewing Blueberries in Cream Ale, 6pk cans - $15.99
Kegs - 1/6 Barrel 🛢
Alesmith IPA - $128.99
Half Acre Daisy Cutter Pale Ale - $132.99
Wiedemann's Royal Amber Ale - $109.99
Toppling Goliath Pilsner - $114.99
Final Thoughts 💬
This is my 17th Christmas here at the store. That's kind of hard to believe… I’ll most likely tell this story next year as well to wrap the season up. I mean, I know I've shared many of these thoughts with you in past years. Christmas 2007, Patrick was still here at the store, and I remember waking up one morning and mentioning to him that I dreamt I was ordering wine all night. He laughed and said that explained his dream of putting wine away all night… That same year, I remember Christmas dinner and Patrick asking me if I thought everyone was enjoying the wines that we had picked out for so many others. I hadn’t given that a thought until his comment, and it suddenly terrified me. I still order and sell wine in my dreams during this season, but now I’m also suggesting specialty cuts of Beef, Pork, and Fish. I’m still terrified at times, but I’m getting better… Merry Christmas to all of you. We hope you have a safe and enjoyable Christmas.
Cheers and Happy Holidays from all of us here at the Wine Merchant!
📞 419-424-0391
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