Spooky and scary is upon us!!! 🎃

C’mon in and grab a few treats for this Halloween weekend…👻

Hours of Operation (Starting 11/1)

Monday - Tuesday, 10am - 6pm

Wednesday - Saturday, 10am - 8pm

Calendar 🗓

October 28 (Saturday) - The last grilling event of the season and the last Saturday for the patio… We’ll toss some sweet and hot Italian rope sausage on the grill, fry up some onions and peppers, and serve them all day long on a toasted garlic roll. Great beer, great wine, and some great food to end the grilling season here at the Wine Merchant.

November 1 (Wednesday) - NEW HOURS BEGIN!

November 7 (Tuesday) - Our annual Alternative Wine Dinner. We are now taking reservations, so please call to reserve your space.

November 16 (Thursday) - It's that time of year again... Beaujolais Nouveau! As usual, to celebrate the new release, we will have French fare all day long, so make sure to add this exciting day to your calendars.

December 9 (Saturday) - Our annual Champagne Tasting from 6-8pm. Reservations are required. Call soon because this one fills up fast…

That’s it… the 2023 calendar is done, over, completo, fin. No matter how you say it, it’s over and time to start a 2024 event calendar!

Store News 🏬

Beginning Wednesday, November 1, we will begin our new holiday hours. Monday and Tuesday will remain 10am - 6pm. Wednesday - Saturday, both the bar and the store will now be open 10am until 8pm. Besides changing our hours, we will also be offering some new menu offerings. Personal 8” pizzas will be available every day of the week, from start to close, be it lunch, dinner, or just a snack to share with friends. We’ve heard you, and we’re trying to act on some of your requests…one step at a time, nice and slow.

Wine News🍷

We’re officially on the cusp of the Holiday season. Yesterday was the 2 month mark for Christmas, which basically means the holiday is next weekend… Whereas the holidays are coming, we begin to focus on that with we can control in our inventory. It’s not so much about what’s new but what items in inventory we can steadily maintain throughout the season. I’ve already preordered quite a few wines for the holidays and am daily trying to keep our inventory under control. For those of you that have special requests for bottles during the upcoming festivities, let us know early. Supply line issues may have been resolved, but we’re still living in a lean market where distributors don’t bring in as much or hold on to as much as they once did. We all enjoy choosing new wines for you down here, but for the next couple of months, we’re going to be focused on making sure our inventory is stable.

Dan’s Feature ⭐️

The Phantom… Why not? After all, it’s hauntingly delicious… this mysterious apparition of ripe berry and relentless spice returns for another year to haunt wine lovers. Full of concentration and intensity, this wine will tease, tantalize, and linger long after the last sip is gone. Wild berries and black pepper are framed by the influence of oak again with baking spices and a hint of toasty vanilla. The winemaker describes this wine as having, “aromas of baked cherry cobbler and ripe cranberries are front and center. Framed with nutmeg and allspice delivered from aging 2 years in American oak. All wrapped with peppercorn, anise, and juniper berries which are abundant flavors found in the Petite Sirah and Zinfandel varieties. Don't be fooled by the seductive nose. At first sip, the Phantom is generous and mouthfilling. This wine is packed with big color, dark fruit and ample tannins. While the Phantom is perfect today, there is enough structure here to age well into the next decade.” Always a go-to at this time of the year, this $19.99 92-point bottle is comprised of 56% Petite Syrah and 44% Zinfandel. Always a welcome and warming wine that’s perfect for Fall evenings and ghost hunting expeditions.

Dan’s Pick 🥂

My spooky pick for this week is from Corvidae Wine Company, a sister company of Owen Roe. Corvidae wines follow a very specific theme of “Edgar Allen Poe,” so this week's pick is the Raven Riesling from Washington State. This off-dry Riesling is “a serious wine from old hillside vines located in Washington State. Bright, refreshing and vibrant, it exudes mouthwatering acidity with key lime pie, honeysuckle and apricot notes. The wine is fermented entirely in stainless steel. Mineral laden soils contribute to this wine’s flinty character and lively flavors.” This dry Riesling from the Columbia Valley will impress you with its pretty orchard fruit and cleansing minerals. This is dry but of course still has that tiny kiss of warm ripe fruit that you think is sweet for a second, then the rush of cleansing mineral notes on the finish is quite dry and refreshing. Why do I like this bottle? 1) It’s scary, and 2) it will go with anything! Riesling is the best food pairing wine there is, so I mean literally everything… except Halloween candy. Grabbing take out for the evening? Pick up a few bottles of this $15.99 Riesling... don’t be frightened.

Food News 🦃

It’s that time of the year again!!! Time to order your Turkeys. Once again, we're going with Bowman and Landes. Turkeys have been raised on the Bowman & Landes family turkey farm since 1948. According to them, "We are pleased to be in our fourth generation, with three generations actively involved. The original mission to produce the highest quality free range turkeys using the most natural home grown grains has not changed and continues to drive our organization. Our commitment to quality and excellence includes the grain we grow, the turkeys we produce, and the customers we serve." We’ve been able to bring these in the last few years and are excited to have them available again this year, and the best thing is they’re significantly lower than last year's price at $7.99/lb. These need to be ordered by November 1 in order to make sure we have them in on Tuesday, November 21, so plan ahead and let us know what you would like. They come in two-pound intervals, from 10-12lb all the way up to 23-25lb. If you don’t want the whole bird, we also can order 4-7lb turkey breast roasts for $10.99/lb. Take a count, figure out how big or small your needs may be, and we’ll take care of the rest.

Oyster News 🦪

St. Simon Oysters from New Brunswick are this week's oysters. Just felt like we needed a new oyster this week, and these particular oysters beckoned me. The La Saint Simon Oyster from Shippagan, New Brunswick is one-of-a-kind oyster because it has an amazingly dynamic flavor -- wonderful briny start, then transforms on the palate into sweet, buttery goodness down the throat offering a dynamic and sharp brine, supple meat and a sweet, mineral finish. Describing it in words does not do it justice. It’s simply something you need to come down and try for yourself. Also brought in some Duxburys today. It’s nice to have the larger size for baking. We’ve got you covered for Oysters this week, so come on down and have them your way.

Market Items 🛒

*Fresh Hand Cut Prime Strip Steaks - $22.99/lb

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

*Fresh Wagyu Burgers 4pk - $16.99

*Fresh Oysters - $24 a dozen

*Fresh Duroc Double Bone-In Pork Chops - $12.99 (1 remaining)

*Fresh Berkshire 8oz Boneless Pork Loin Chops - $10.99

*Fresh North Atlantic Salmon - $18.99/lb

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

Frozen Duroc Dry Aged 14oz Bone-In Pork Chops - $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 Racks, 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 Italian Sausages, 4 per pound - $8.99

Frozen Dearborn Knockwurst, 5pk - $8.99

Frozen Black Pepper Bacon - $14.99

Frozen Chilean Sea Bass, 6oz - $16.99

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

Frozen Ahi Saku Block Tuna AAA Sushi Grade, avg. 16oz - $19.99

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 Whole Petite Potatoes - $8.99

Frozen Oven-Roasted Potato Wedges - $8.99

Frozen Arrezzio Basil Pesto, 16oz - $18.99

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 - $5.99

Maurizio Spaghetti Chitarra Dried Pasta from Italy - $5.99

Maurizio Trofie Dried Pasta from Italy - $7.99

Tribeca Bakery Bread (Rosemary or Asiago) - $5.50

New Wine🍷

Ken Wright Cellars 2022 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, Oregon - $29.99

Lava Cap 2020 Merlot, California - $22.99

Joel Falment NV Les Parcelles Brut Champagne France $48.99

New Beer 🍺

Abita Fluffer Nutter Golden Ale, 6pk bottles - $13.99

Toppling Goliath This Meeting Could've Been an Email DIPA, 4pk cans - $18.99

Bell's Porter, 6pk bottles - $10.99

Kegs - 1/6 Barrel 🛢

Outerbelt Glasstown Lager - $109.99

Tröeg’s Perpetual IPA - $114.99

Duck Rabbit Amber - $135.99

Maine Lunch IPA - $188.99

Fat Heads Hop Marauder Imperial IPA - $121.99

Final Thoughts 💬

With it being Halloween next week, that means it’s the end of October and time to start thinking of what’s next. For us right now, it’s simply later hours and lots of events… the Alternative Wine Dinner, Beaujolais Nouveau, Thanksgiving, the Champagne Tasting, Christmas, New Year's, and of course, hosting lots of your holiday festivities. Be it an office party, a gathering of friends, or whatever your needs are over the next couple of months, we’re here to help. Hold on -- we’re on a fast track to the end of 2023.

Cheers from all of us here at the Wine Merchant!

📞 419-424-0391

📧 findlaywinemerchant@gmail.com

💻 https://www.findlaywinemerchant.com