I will be in downtown Detroit later this week and was hoping to check out a wine shop if anyone has suggestions. I have found Merchant’s Fine Wine and House of Vin so far on a google search. I am not looking for Michigan wines necessarily, just somewhere with a good selection of harder to find wines. Thanks.
I cannot say I shop at any stores in the city of Detroit. In the Detroit metropolitan area, for places that have “hard to find” wine, not sure if there are is a specific one to fit the bill. Plum Market in West Bloomfield, MI ( more so than the other locations) has a nice selection with a small reserve room and is the place I currently shop when buying wine in town.
I have not been in quite a while but Papa Joe’s in Rochester used to have a good selection. Cloverleaf in Royal Oak is smaller with a quirky but interesting selection but I also have not been there in quite a while. Another longstanding name is Champane’s which I was at recently and I was startled to see how much their stock had dwindled; not worth a visit.
I am not familiar with House of Vin. Merchant of Vino used to be a big name in Detroit wine shops, Merchant’s fine wine may be related to that now closed chain; I am not sure. Regardless, Dearborn is quite a ways from where I live so I have not visited there.
I stumbled on this place last fall as it was two blocks from my hotel.
They also have carryout wine sales (or did in November). The owners also own Fine Wine Source in Livonia (http://finewinesource.net) I have no doubt you will be able to find something here to enjoy. Great selection and food to match. I would definitely go back.
Plus one for Vertical - on the pricey side for Detroit, but a pretty good selection of wines.
If looking for a store, I think you want to venture out of Detroit. If looking for a good domestic selection, I’d go to ML Spirits. If French or Spanish wine than Elle’s is a great option. Both are in Birmingham and are a 20-25 minute drive from downtown. There is a wine store in Eastern Market called Cost Plus Eastern Market which is meh.
I’m not sure what happened to Champagnes. They used to have a good selection at reasonable prices, but the last few times I’ve been the pickings were slim.
Great suggestions here. Not much in the city itself. Plum market is awesome
It has been years, but I checked their website, and are still at the same location.
Wine Barrel Plus
30303 Plymouth Rd
Livonia 48150
734-522-9463
30,000 bottle, climate-controlled cellar, and he had a bunch of aged stuff.
I recall that he was on the pricy side. Check the website.
Great suggestions, guys. Thanks!
I am not familiar with House of Vin. Merchant of Vino used to be a big name in Detroit wine shops, Merchant’s fine wine may be related to that now closed chain; I am not sure. Regardless, Dearborn is quite a ways from where I live so I have not visited there.
He sold the name “Merchant of Vino”. But he couldn’t stay out of the business, so he opened Merchant’s. Same guy. He’s a good guy and knows wine. I stop in every time I’m in town and I’ll see him this weekend.
There’s also Westborn Market - a few locations. Nothing unusual but sometimes they have OK deals.
As far as Michigan wine - Merchant’s is a good source if you’re interested. He keeps up to date with what’s going on in the local industry and you may find some good choices there. But they don’t keep a deep inventory, so it’s always hit or miss. You can call ahead and see what they have. I’d suggest trying a few - MI is making some surprisingly good stuff. Try some Blaufrankisch and Cab Franc, in addition to the whites. And if you’re up for it, there’s a sour cherry wine - I can’t remember the name but it really isn’t too bad. We tend to be prejudiced about non-grape wine, at least I am, but once I overcame that and judged the wine for what it was, it was OK.
Oh, and if you’re interested, Madonna is from Michigan and her family is making wine too - Ciccone. I haven’t tried it.
I live 5minutes from ml and they are both terrible for wine and clueless. At one point the cooler in their fine wine room was blowing hot air…for weeks. For beer? -yes. For wine? No chance
+1 ML, nice folks.
If you’re looking to stay in downtown Detroit, House of Pure Vin recently opened up, and their selection is quite nice. Haven’t made it to Vertical Detroit yet, but I would like to.
However, if you’re willing to venture a bit outside of downtown, there are a number of fairly small, but very well-chosen selections around. In Midtown, there is Great Lakes Coffee (about a mile or two up Woodward) which carries its own retail selection. Great place to go and get a drink owing to a nice by the glass list and tap list. Small retail selection, but they oftentimes carry a handful of very nice labels such as Tempier, Foillard, Vietti, Copain, Lioco, Lopez de Heredia, etc…, and a number of very nice Austrian wines. With it being right next to Wayne State, expect to find a pretty young crowd. You won’t find DRC there, but you find won’t Woodbridge Reserve either.
Mudgie’s in Corktown has also started carrying a small retail selection as well. The selection is largely cut from the same cloth as Great Lakes Coffee. More of a full restaurant than Great Lakes Coffee, though. Gets you into an interesting part of town, with the big positive that you’re then right next to what I’d say is the city’s best brewery, Batch. Might want to consider stopping by the John K King bookstore while you’re over there, too.
Motor City Wine is also in the Corktown area and is right off of Michigan (corner of Rosa Parks). Nice selection, and gems are certainly to be found there. Last time I was there, I picked up a 2000 Max Ferdinand Richter, Kabinett (can’t remember the vineyard) for $25. An additional $8 if you want to drink your bottle there; which I think is the same at both Great Lakes and Mudgie’s.
If you venture outside of the city, the place that gets the majority of my wine money is Western Market up on 9 Mile in Ferndale. Nice German selection, and clearly a selection put together by someone (Jared) who is motivated by what they like, not what they can sell. There you can find wines from Dressner, Theise, Rosenthal, and even Selection Massale. Love this place.
Admittedly, the selections mentioned above might be somewhat more suitable for the natural wine, Alice Feiring crowd. If you’re looking for what I’d think are more ‘flagship’ producers (e.g. Pegau, Littorai, Dujac, classified Bordeaux), I’d suggest going a bit farther north to either of the Red Wagon Wine Shoppes in Troy or Rochester. The selection at the Rochester location I think is a bit larger, but is quite the trek from downtown Detroit. But still, nice wines, and their prices are generally solid.
I’ve rarely gone there after their move from downtown Royal Oak, but Elie’s in Birmingham does have a stunning selection of French and Spanish wines. Personally, I can’t oftentimes afford to play in that sandbox. Great selection, but come with $$$.
I hope this helps! I’ve been in the city for coming up on 3 years, and it’s really an interesting place to see. I hope you enjoy your time here.
If you get to Ann Arbor, Village Corner is pretty nice.
Definitely, and add Morgan & York in A2
I was at Mudgie’s yesterday. Putnam et al have done a good job of having interesting wines at fair prices. There won’t be any old stuff but it’s worth a look and the food is great.
I may check out Vertical tomorrow night.