Happy Day 2 of Summer!

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Hours of Operation

Monday – Saturday

10am to 6pm

Calendar 🗓

June 24 (Saturday) - Huhn in June featuring Huhn from Michigan Family Farms. Delicious antibiotic-free, non-GMO, free range Amish chickens! Reservations will be required for this event. We’ll start this dinner out with a beautiful Bruschetta followed by brined, grilled, and smoked chicken, corn and orzo salad, and cornbread, and we’ll be ending with apple pie and Dietsch's ice cream! (SOLD OUT)

July 14 (Friday) - Bastille Day 2023!!! We’ll be serving our best French fare: pissaladiere, pommes frites, baguettes and fromage, along with special wines and beers all day long!

August 5 (Saturday) - It’s National Oyster Day, so you know we’ll be celebrating.

September 8 (Friday) - Friday night Anniversary Tasting, 5-7pm. That’s right, Friday night wine tasting! Four wines, 4 different delectable bites to enjoy with your wine, and a bar that’s open until 9pm, serving some of your old favorites. It’s an anniversary after all (not however a statement on what’s to come).

Store News 🏬

Running the store is a challenge, trying to maintain a budget is impossible, speaking with customers is wonderful, asking people not to use our parking lot for downtown endeavors… dreadful. I’ve been sworn at, called most names you can only imagine, and lied to way too many times to count, and on top of that, negative comments with horrible ratings have been left on Google Reviews. I know these people aren’t reading this newsletter, but I’m tired of being portrayed as a tyrant of the parking lot. But hey you gotta do what you gotta do... and if you would feel so inclined to leave us a positive review on Google, we would greatly appreciate it. (And to John/Kathy/whoever you are who left that last review... we both know you were never going to shop here.)

Wine News🍷

We were hoping on having our new wine list up and running this weekend, but we’re quite there yet. Give us one more week and we’ll have it ready for you. It’s more of a discussion and ordering process than it is tasting to get there and I’m ready to discuss…

Dan’s Feature ⭐️

This week’s feature is from Paul Hobbs, a winemaker who is highly renowned for both his California collection and his South American wines. We’ve carried and sold a lot of his Pinot down here over the years, especially because I used to ship a significant amount to a North Carolina customer. When I was presented again with this wine, there were two things that hit me: (1) the price had gone up (and will jump up again next month), and (2) it’s still a beautiful Pinot Noir. Being priced at $35.99 takes it past its previous price, but you know… it’s worth it. Robert Parker rated this wine at 94 points and had this to say: “The 2019 Pinot Noir has a medium ruby-purple color and lush scents of dried blueberries and cranberries, with nuances of blood orange, forest floor and violet. The medium-bodied palate has grainy tannins and rounded acidity to support its layered fruits, and it finishes long and flavorful. Best After 2022.” Well, it’s after 2022, and quite remarkably, the site that I stole this quotation from has this wine at the same price that we do. If you’re a Pinot Noir lover, try this wine. It’s a very tasty expression of what this man does oh so well…

Dan’s Pick 🥂

From Rias Baixas, Spain, this week’s pick is Paco & Lolo Albariño. It’s been a while since we’ve had this wine in stock, and after tasting it recently I decided it needed to come back in. The description that follows is truly much better than I could possibly come up with… “It’s always exciting to find a lip smacking, delicious white wine that not only grabs your attention on the palate but also grabs your attention with its beautiful packaging! Paco & Lola’s Albariño has all the great qualities of classic Albariño with intense citrus flower aromatics and zesty flavors of citrus and stone fruits. It’s clean, textured, and refreshing with hints of tropical fruits rounding out the palate and adding complexity. Paco & Lola is a modern winery in the Riax Baixas region and recognized for their fun polka dot labels. They use state of the art technology to keep their wines focused, fresh and expressive. The grapes for this wine come from their best vineyards in the Salnés subregion which is considered the cradle of Albariño. Albariño is Spain’s most popular white wine and is known for being amazingly versatile and able to pair with a wide variety of foods. The classic pairing is seafood, but Albariño easily pairs well with white meats and even spicy foods.” Try something a little different, give that Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc a day off, and try this deliciously crisp, bright, and acidic new wine. Priced at $22.99, this best of Spain white will be a pleasure.

Food News 🐟

As predicted, Copper River is down again this week to $23.99/lb. These fish were caught in Prince William Sound, which of course is connected to the Copper River in Alaska. Another item that has been getting some attention is our Sashimi-Grade Tuna! We’ve been serving it as a Crudo dish with Tortilla Chips or as a Sashimi Platter. This is an absolute delicious dish that you may want to consider next time you’re in. Just another special food item we stumbled upon that we like sharing with you.

Food Feature 🥩

Next week will be all about Burgers, Brats, and Steaks off the grill. This week, make it a seafood selection! Fresh Salmon from Scotland & Alaska’s Copper River, big and beautiful Oishi Shrimp, enormous domestic caught Scallops, and as already mentioned, some great Sashimi Grade Ahi Tuna. No, you don’t have buy them all… but no judgment if you do 😉 Choose a few that speak to you and have a summer by the sea meal!

Oyster News 🦪

Just in today! Glacier Bay Oysters from the cold, deep waters of New Brunswick, PEI. These were the original favorites of the store, and today they’re big and beautiful and ready for your plate.

Market Items 🛒

*Fresh Wagyu Hanger Steaks, 2 Pack/1lb - $29.99

*Fresh Dry-Aged Imperial Wagyu Strip Steaks - $42.99

*Fresh Wagyu Burgers 2pk - $8.99

*Fresh Oysters - $24 a dozen

*Fresh Scottish Salmon - $18.99/lb

*Fresh Copper River Salmon - $23.99/lb

*Fresh Sashimi-Grade Ahi Tuna - $18.99/lb

*Fresh Duroc Double Bone-In Pork Chops - $12.99

*Fresh Michigan Family Farms Amish Free Range Chicken Boneless Skin-On Thighs, 2.2lb - $14.99

Frozen CAB Steak Burgers 4pk - $14.99

Frozen Choice Sirloin Cap Strip Steaks, 8oz - $9.99

Frozen Prime Ribeyes, 14oz - $18.99

Frozen Choice Ribeyes, 16oz - $18.99

Frozen Prime Whole Tenderloin - $22.99/lb

Frozen Center Cut 8oz Beef Tenderloin Filets - $16.99

Frozen Lamb Sirloin Roast - $22.99/lb

Frozen Lamb Racks, 2lbs - $49.99

Frozen Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin - $12.99

Frozen Pre-Cooked Frozen BBQ Ribs (approx. 3lb racks) - $23.99

Frozen Italian Sausages, 4 per pound - $8.99

Frozen Nueske Cheddar and Bacon Sausages 5 per pound - $9.99

Frozen Epic Curing Black Pepper Bacon - $14.99

Frozen Marinated Pre-Cooked Pork Shank - $12.99

Frozen Chilean Sea Bass, 6oz - $16.99

Frozen Buddy’s Detroit Style Pizzas (Cheese or Veggie) - $17.99

Frozen Ahi Saku Block Tuna AAA Sushi Grade, avg. 10oz - $19.99

Frozen Lobster Tails - $14.99

Frozen U-16/20 Raw Shrimp deveined (1lb package) - $19.99/lb

Frozen U-10 Scallops - $29.99/lb

Frozen Whole Petite Potatoes - $8.99

Frozen Oven-Roasted Potato Wedges - $8.99

Fresh/Frozen Bacchini Paparedelle from Italy - $14.99/lb (serving for 2)

Fresh/Frozen Bacchini Strozzapreti from Italy - $14.99/lb (serving for 2)

Fresh/Frozen Bacchini Lobster & Crab Tortelli from Italy - $16.99 1/2 lb

Fresh/Frozen Bacchini Pear & Cheese Fiocchi from Italy - $7.99 1/2 lb

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

Fusco Mezzi Rigatoni Dried Pasta from Italy - $6.99

Fusco Casarecce Dried Pasta from Italy - $5.99

Maurizio Spaghetti Chitarra Dried Pasta from Italy - $5.99

Maurizio Trofie Dried Pasta from Italy - $7.99

Tribeca Bakery Bread (Asiago or Rosemary) - $5.50

Ace Bakery Garlic Loaf - $5.50

Orwashers Sourdough Bread - $13.99

New Wine🍷

Knorhoek 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, South Africa - $29.99

Jonty’s Ducks 2017 Pekin Red Blend, South Africa - $19.99

Heinz Eifel 2020 Riesling Spätlese, Germany - $15.99

Tornatore 2021 Etna Bianco, Italy - $24.99

Palladino 2017 Barolo, Italy - $45.99

Kouros 2021 Assyrtiko, Greece - $13.99

Kouros 2021 Rhoditis, Greece - $13.99

Diamandes 2020 Cabernet Franc, Argentina - $19.99

Diamandes 2019 Perlita Malbec-Syrah, Argentina - $14.99

Pavette 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon, California - $15.99

Ravel & Stitch 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Coast, CA - $19.99

Crossbarn 2019 Pinot Noir, Sonoma, CA - $35.99

New Beer 🍺

Montucky Cold Snacks, 12pk cans - $11.99

Flying Dog Double Dog 18 Triple IPA, 4pk bottles - $21.99

Great Lakes Ruby’s Revenge, 4pk cans - $12.99

Kegs - 1/6 Barrel 🛢

Half Acre Daisy Cutter - $118.99

Juniper Mexican Style Lager - $121.99

Forbidden Root Purple Pils - $139.99

AleSmith Tower of Flower IPA - $128.99

Stone IPA - $114.99

Final Thoughts 💬

We’re keeping busy down here… besides tasting allllllll the wines for the new wine list, we’ve been prepping for our annual Huhn in June this Saturday. Summer’s certainly here, and we like being that one stop shop for both food and beverages… as long as I can keep spaces for you in the parking lot. I can accept occasionally being called jerk, rude, or even jackass… call me what you will, I’m saving these parking spots for you!

Cheers from all of us here at the Wine Merchant!

📞 419-424-0391

📧 findlaywinemerchant@gmail.com

💻 https://www.findlaywinemerchant.com