Well, vacation's over
- Dan Matheny
- 46 minutes ago
- 6 min read
I'm back from the tropics and brought the sun with me ☀️
Hours of Operation
Monday - Tuesday, 10am to 6pm
Wednesday - Saturday, 10am to 8pm
Calendar 🗓
January 16-17 (Fri-Sat) - Weekend Special: Ahi Tuna Crudo & Sashimi
January 24 (Saturday) - OYSTER DAY!!!
February 6 (Friday) - Winter Art Walk Wine Tasting, 5-7pm.
February 14 (Saturday) - Valentine's Day Dinner, 6-8pm. Reservations required.
February 17 (Tuesday) - Our annual Fat Tuesday at the Wine Merchant! Dan's famous Dumbo and more on the docket.
News 🗞
I am back from vacation and ready to work... well that might be an overstatement. While I enjoyed myself and had a great time achieving my goal of doing absolutely nothing, there's only so much of that I can take. Plus, I learned once again that the wine selection at all-inclusive resorts leaves much to be desired... don't worry, I got my money's worth in the end. I decided to bring a little of the beach life back with me with this weekend's special, Ahi Tuna Crudo and Sashimi Plates. You know them, you love them. The Crudo is of course Ahi Tuna diced and topped with Ponzu, Chile Crunch (or Chile Crack as we call it), Everything Seasoning, and Green Onions, served with Tortilla Chips. The Sashimi Plate is thinly sliced Ahi Tuna with simply Ponzu, Wasabi, and a little Everything Seasoning. Serving both Friday and Saturday while supplies last. And of course we are planning away for our biannual Oyster Day next weekend, January 24. As always there will be special oysters, special prices, special wines to pair, and probably some carpal tunnel for those of us shucking... stay tuned for more on that next week.
Wine Feature ⭐️
If you know my history with wine, you know that Australian Shiraz was the first one that I fell in love with. I will always go back to it, especially if it's one as good as this: John Duval Wines 2022 Entity Shiraz from the Barossa Valley. If you don't know the name John Duval, you probably should. He worked for Penfolds for 28 years and was Chief Winemaker for Australia's most famous wine, Grange. His decisions on how to grow and age Shiraz played a large roll in establishing it as one of the world's finest reds wines. He started his own label in 2003 to focus on Australia's low-yielding, old vine vineyards. Not a lot of fruit, but as bold and expressive as you can get. With 94+ points across the board, this drinks far above its $39.99 price tag. "Lifted notes of dark berries, plum and boysenberry, supported by hints of anise and clove. Dark and brooding, with excellent concentration of layered rich dark fruits with hints of dark chocolate and earth, finishing long with youthful tannins. We intend for the wine to be approachable in its youth, but with ample structure and fruit depth to allow cellaring for at least 15 years." And as Robert Parker says, "The palate is, as this producer is so consistently capable of, supple and polished, with a brilliant fruit clarity and poise." Shiraz isn't always the most nuanced wine, but this one proves that it can be.
Wine Pick 🥂
We have a new Cabernet in this week, the Sonoma Bespoke 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon from Alexander Valley. While Napa Cabs are typically bigger and bolder, those from Sonoma are are lighter and brighter due to cooling Pacific breezes coming along the Russian River corridor. This vintage, however, is a bit of an exception to that rule due to an unusually hot summer in the Alexander Valley. "Aromas of blackberry, plum and licorice dominate the nose of this Cabernet. The richly textured palate displays flavors of currant, plum skin, grilled bread and licorice before a finish loaded with grippy tannin, spice and purple flowers." It is the perfect balance of fruit, acidity, and structure, and for only $18.99. This winery focuses on low production wines, so it'll be here and gone before we know it.
Oysters 🦪
This week we've got Mayflower Points from... well Cape Cod, of course. I'm sure you could have guessed that one. They're much larger than the Village Bays from last week, around 3.5 inches. They taste fresh and are extremely salty with a gentle finish and creamy meat. The suggested pairing is of all things a hazy IPA, so feel free to give that a whirl. I however will still be going with sparkling.
Market Items 🛒
Fresh Faroe Islands Salmon - $18.99/lb
Fresh Prime Ribeyes - $22.99/lb
Fresh Oysters - $24/dozen
Sea Wings Sustainably Sourced Crab Claw Meat, 1lb - $24.99
Truffle Mousse Pâté, 5oz - $8.99 (1 remaining)
Frozen Hanger Steaks, 1/2lb - $14.9
Frozen Wagyu Ribeyes, 12-14oz - $35.99
Frozen Center Cut Beef Tenderloin Filets, 8oz - $16.99
Frozen Beef Tenderloin, 6oz 2pk - $21.99
Frozen Whole Beef Tenderloin, 3.5lb - $100
Frozen Short Rib Burgers, 4pk - $15.99
Frozen Little Town Jerky Fully Cooked Rare Beef Tri-Tip - $15.99/lb
Frozen Pounded Veal Leg Cutlets, 1lb (4 per pack) - $18.99
Frozen Ground Veal, 2lb - $21.99
Frozen Pre-Cooked St. Louis Ribs - $29.99
Frozen All-Natural Berkshire Pork Tenderloin, 14oz - $13.99
Frozen Cooked Marinated Pork Shank, 16oz - $9.99
Frozen Duroc Dry Aged Bone-In Pork Chops, 14oz - $16.99
Frozen Skin-On Chicken Breast & Thigh, 2pk - $4.99/lb
Frozen Greco Italian Sausage, 4pk - $14.99
Frozen Portico Peeled & Deveined Jumbo Shrimp - $18.99/lb
Frozen Portico Bikini Shrimp, 2lb - $27.99
Frozen U-10 Scallops - $32.99/lb
Frozen Lobster Tails (5-6oz), 2pk - $25.99
Frozen King Crab - $91.99/lb
Frozen Sam Adams Beer-Battered Cod - $5.99/lb
Frozen Massa Sicilian Style Pizza (Pepperoni) - $15.99
Frozen Oven-Roasted Potato Wedges - $8.99
Frozen Au Gratin Potatoes -$5.99 2pk / $9.99 4pk
Fresh/Frozen Drake’s Pasta Butternut Squash Ravioli - $12.99/lb (serving for 2)
Fresh/Frozen Pear & Cheese Fiocchi - $18.99/lb (serving for 2)
Fresh/Frozen Porcini Tortellone - $15.99/lb (serving for 2)
Frozen Bake House Artisan Multi-Grain Bread - $4.99
Frozen Baker's Source Roasted Garlic Bâtard Bread - $7.99
Frozen Miner's Demi Glace - $9.99
Frozen Brittany Blend Mixed Vegetables, 2lb - $8.99
New Wine🍷
Sonoma Bespoke 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley - $18.99
Penny Island 2024 Chardonnay, Russian River Valley - $24.99
M Dean 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon, California - $10.99
Stolpman 2025 Love You Bunches Rosé, California - $19.99
Mokoroa 2024 Txakolina, Spain - $22.99 (arriving Friday)
Wildekrans 2022 Walker Bay Pinotage, South Africa - $22.99 (arriving Friday)
Bodegas Ramírez 2020 de la Piscina Rioja Crianza, Spain - $19.99 (arriving Friday)
Château Lalande de Gravet 2020 Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux - $29.99 (arriving Friday)
Highway 12 Vineyards 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma - $16.99 (arriving Friday)
Revelry Vintners 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley - $19.99 (arriving Friday)
BonAnno 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley - $24.99 (arriving Friday)
Cantina Zaccagnini Alcohol-Removed White, Italy - $20.99
Cantina Zaccagnini Alcohol-Removed Red, Italy - $20.99
New Beer & More 🍺
Mast Landing A Beer Named Duck New England Pale Ale, 4pk cans - $13.99
Forbidden Root Hoodie Weather Oak-Aged Vienna Style Lager, 4pk cans - $11.99
North High Fog Hazy IPA, 6pk cans - $14.99
3 Floyds Lord Rear Admiral Extra Special Bitter Ale, 6pk bottles - $10.99
Ghostfish Watchstander Stout, 4pk cans - $17.99 (Gluten-Free)
Ghostfish Peakbuster Double IPA, 4pk cans - $17.99 (Gluten-Free)
Ghostfish It Came from the Haze Hazy IPA, 4pk cans - $17.99 (Gluten-Free)
Franziskaner Weissbier, 6pk bottles - $9.99 (back in stock)
Kegs - 1/6 Barrel 🛢
Maine Lunch IPA - $195.99
Fat Head's Hazy Head Hunter IPA - $134.99
Oncore Brewing Intentional Scrum New Zealand Pilsner - $134.99
Ithaca Nut Brown - $109.99
Final Thoughts 💬
I don't know about you, but I certainly didn't expect the storm that blew in yesterday. Hope you are all safe and upright. At least Mother Nature was kind enough to do it on Thursday because I fully expect to see everyone here tomorrow for the Ahi Tuna. The sun is a welcome change and seems to be doing its work out there and melting everything away... maybe you can even come and join us for a glass tonight because no snow advisory can keep us away.
Cheers from all of us here at the Wine Merchant!
📞 419-424-0391