May the luck of the Irish be with you 🍀

I may not be Irish, but just call me lord of the Dans

Hours of Operation

Monday - Tuesday, 10am to 6pm

Wednesday - Saturday, 10am to 8pm

Calendar 🗓

March 14 (Friday) - Lenten Special: Crab-Stuffed Salmon Dinner

March 15 (Saturday) - St. Patrick's Day at the Wine Merchant 🍀

March 21 (Friday) - Lenten Special: Soft Shell Crab Sandwich

March 28 (Friday) - Lenten Special, details TBA

March 29 (Saturday) - In like a lion and out like a lamb... it's Lamb-O-Rama!

April 4 (Friday) - Lenten Special, details TBA

April 11 (Friday) - Lenten Special, details TBA

April 18 (Good Friday) - Lenten Special, details TBA

News 🗞

In wine news... the Rosés are coming, the Rosés are coming! Our first two 2024 Rosés are in the store and ready to go, and there are many more to come. I love rosé season. As for the bar, it's another weekend of two events in a row... I must have a death wish. As promised, we have another Lenten Food Special on Friday (3/14) from 4-7pm: a Crab-Stuffed Salmon Dinner. It will consist of a generous portion of Crab-Stuffed Faroe Islands Salmon with Rice Pilaf and Asparagus on the side for $24. We've made this a few times before, just for sale in the store or to eat in the kitchen, and it's always fantastic. On that note, we will have a few portions of it available in the store for those of you who would rather cook it at home. Then, we decided to celebrate St. Patrick's Day early this year so that more of you could attend, this Saturday (3/15) all day long. We'll be featuring the ReuDan Sandwich, my take on a classic Reuben. We ordered Wagyu Corned Beef and Wagyu Pastrami from my favorite American meatery, Smoking Goose in Indianapolis, so of courseour Reudans will have both of those along with McClure Sauerkraut and Russian Dressing on Tribeca Bakery Rye Bread, speared together with a spicy McClure's pickle and chips on the side. It's gonna be so good. Not to mention, Irish Point Oysters topped with Wasabi Caviar, which I am calling Lucky Charms because they are delightfully delicious, and back by popular demand, Frozen Irish Cream Coffee in the granita machine. I hope you're as excited as we are for this.

Wine Feature ⭐️

Italy is calling me again this week... Sella & Mosca 2020 Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva. We've probably featured this at some point in the past, but it took a long hiatus from the store and is now back and ripe for the drinking. Sardegna, or Sardinia, is Italy's other major island after Sicily. It's often overlooked but is one of the most diverse and beautiful parts of the Mediterranean, where mountains meet the sea. Sella and Mosca were an engineer and a lawyer from Northwest Italy who fell in love with the island and its potential and founded their wine house back in 1899. Since then, it was become one of the largest wine estates in Europe. Not only do they have a long history, but they respect their workers and the environment, making them a sound investment. This bottle is 100% Cannonau, which is the Sardinian name for Grenache. The hot and arid climate creates a Grenache that is fuller bodied and has notes of those Mediterranean herbs that grow all over the place. On the palate you'll find cherry, blackberry, dried rosemary and sage, and crushed stone, finishing with soft, polished tannins and a hint of spice from 6 months in Slovenian oak. If you like Grenache, or if you're a fan of Cabs, Malbecs, or red blends, I suggest this bottle for $24.99.

Wine Pick 🥂

A month or two ago, we featured a red wine from Turkey... well, with this kind of weather, it's time for the white: Kavaklidere 2023 Çankaya White Blend from Anatolia, Turkey. Kavaklidere is one of the best known wine producers in that part of the world, and they've been making wine since 1929, so nearing their 100th year. Anatolia is the western part of the Turkish peninsula, and these vines border the Aegean Sea, across from Greece. The grapes are a blend of Emir, Narince, and Sultana... your favorites, right? They are three ancient grapes indigenous to the region, with a history of cultivation stretching back 6000 years. In this blend, the Emir provides the acidity, the Narince provides the aromatics, and the Sultana provides the fruitiness. You'll find it's dry but fruit-forward with notes of citrus, apple, kiwi, and pineapple and enough heft to hold up to a lot of food pairings. Go ahead and take home a bottle for $19.99. You could try looking this wine up yourself, but I say save yourself some time and just trust me... hardly anyone carries it this side of the Atlantic, and their website is in all Turkish. Learned that the hard way.

Food Feature

We got such a good deal on this... little sampler spice sets from Bourbon Barrel Foods for only $4.99. BBF makes handcrafted food items, all with a bourbon flair, down in Louisville. These spice sets contain six .4oz spices: Bourbon Smoked Togarashi, Bourbon Smoked Garlic Salt, Bourbon Smoked Citrus Pepper, Bourbon Smoked Chili Powder, Bourbon Smoked Sugar, and Bourbon Smoked Chef's Blend. Take your grilling to the next level this spring and summer. They would also make a great gift or addition to a gift basket.

Oyster Selection 🦪

Well of course the choice is clear this week... Irish Points from Rustico, PEI. "Irish Point Oysters are some of the cleanest, most consistent, and well-balanced oysters to come out of the Atlantic." They often have green shells from the algae-rich waters in which they grow, hence the name. They are tender and sweet with a smooth mineral finish.

Market Items 🛒 

*Fresh North Atlantic Salmon - $18.99/lb

*Fresh Crab-Stuffed Salmon - $24.99/lb

*Fresh Bavette Steaks, 10oz - $14.99

*Fresh CAB Bone-In Ribeyes - $24.99/lb

*Fresh Short Rib Burgers, 4pk - $13.99

*Fresh Oysters - $24/dozen

*Fresh Smoking Goose Jowl Bacon - $15.99

*Fresh Smoking Goose Tasso - $14.99

Canned Lump Crab, 1lb - $26.99

Frozen 12oz Dry-Aged Strip Steaks - $17.99ea

Frozen 6oz Filet Mignon, 2pk - $18.99

Frozen Center Cut Beef Tenderloin Filets, 8oz - $16.99

Frozen Chuck Prime Burgers, 5pk - $14.99 Frozen Pre-Cooked St. Louis Ribs - $29.99

Frozen Skin-Off Pork Belly - $3.99/lb

Frozen Berkshire Pork Tenderloins, ~1lb - $12.99

Frozen Duroc Dry Aged Bone-In Pork Chops, 14oz - $16.99 Frozen Cooked Osso Bucco, 16oz - $9.99

Frozen Weisswurst Veal Sausage - $8.99/lb

Frozen Rinaldi Italian Sausage, 5pk - $8.99

Frozen Rack of Lamb - $23.99/lb

Frozen U-13/15 Raw Jumbo Shrimp Deveined (2lb package) - $39.99

Frozen U-10 Scallops - $29.99/lb

Frozen Lobster Tails (4oz), 2pk - $25.99

Frozen Massa Sicilian Style Pizza (Italian Sausage, Pepperoni, or Roasted Vegetable) - $14.99

Frozen Oven-Roasted Potato Wedges - $8.99

Frozen Au Gratin Potatoes, 2pk - $5.99

Fresh/Frozen Cheese Ravioli, 1lb - $9.99

Fresh/Frozen Spinach & Cheese Ravioli, 1lb - $10.99

Fresh/Frozen Drake’s Pasta Ravioli (Butternut Squash or Veal) - $12.99/lb (serving for 2)

Fresh/Frozen Italian Grantortellone with Porcini Mushrooms - $15.99/lb (serving for 2)

Tribeca Oven Bread (Rosemary) - $5.99

Tribeca Oven Rye Sliced Large Loaf - $14.99

Bake House Artisan Multi-Grain Bread - $4.99

Brioche Hot Dog Buns - $3.99

French Macarons, 12pk - $9.99

Miner's Demi Glace - $9.99

Wholesome Farms Salted Butter, 1lb - $4.99

New Wine🍷

Le Haut Perron 2022 Touraine-Chenonceaux Blanc, France - $19.99

Levee & Loam 2022 Meritage Red Blend, California - $14.99

Domaine Christophe Mittnacht Terres d'Etoiles Pinot Blanc, Alsace - $17.99

Cavalchina 2024 Chiaretto Bardolino Rosato, Italy - $18.99

Château du Seuil 2024 La Chapelle du Seuil, Provence - $15.99

New Beer & More 🍺

No new beers this week, but we do have a restock of a few favorites:

• New Holland Dragon's Milk Triple Mash, 4pk bottles - $27.99

• Duchesse de Bourgogne Flemish Red Ale, 4pk bottles - $23.99

• Crafted Wildflower Mead, 750mL - $19.99

Kegs - 1/6 Barrel 🛢 

Half Acre Sunrise Vallejo IPA - $118.99

Jackie O's Sing to the Sun Hazy IPA - $141.99

Final Thoughts 💬

The wine industry is in a bit of chaos right now... with people drinking less, Gen Z's lack of interest in wine, and the fear of tariffs looming, everyone seems to be trying to save a buck. Distributors are laying off staff, trying to streamline shipping routes, reducing shipments, and in some cases as we learned this week, stopping shipments altogether. We got word on Tuesday that one of our distributors is no longer shipping to Northwest Ohio, so we've lost access to a few of our favorite bottles... at least for now. We of course try to shield you from the fallout from something like this, but I fear this may not be the end of it... No matter what happens, you can be sure that we will continue sniffing out the very best wines at the best prices.

Sláinte from all of us here at the Wine Merchant!

📞 419-424-0391

📧 findlaywinemerchant@gmail.com

💻 https://www.findlaywinemerchant.com