Recently, Mark and I traveled to Michigan to visit my dad and attend a college friend's wedding. Of course, if you know me at all, you know I can't travel anywhere without checking into the wine scene! Here's our review...Mark, my dad, and I visited Vinology for lunch - it's a wine bar, wine shop, and restaurant (sounds a lot like Cork Cellars!) in Ann Arbor, MI - home of my Alma Mater, University of Michigan. It's right downtown Ann Arbor, in a really cool, old building with brick walls and a cellar basement. The restaurant seating and the bar area were separated by a big wall, so you didn't get a good connecting vibe of maybe tasting wine vs. going into a restaurant for food.
The wine list was fair, I thought, for Michigan. They did have a very cool "rating" system - little indicators on the wine list if it was bubbly, bold, fruitty, sweet, etc. My dad's a big Chardonnay fan, so we (the guys) split a bottle of the Newton "Red Label" Chard. Not the most expensive one the list, but up there. No Oregon Chard's made it to the menu here. As far as lunch goes, the menu read much more wonderfully than the actual flavors of the food. They do focus on a seasonal menu, purchasing organic and local foods from around MI, which is very cool. But, our waitress pointed out that they were just getting going with a new kitchen staff, and the food reflected: it was fairly non-descript and average.
The "shopping" part of Vinology was in the cellar basement - very cool, dark, and unique. The actual wine shop was more of a tasting room with the wine situated in racking around 3 sides of the room. They had a few good choices, but I would say it wasn't necessarily a place to just go buy wine, it was more of a tasting bar that you could take wine home at 30% below restaurant pricing if you chose. They did have a very cool private tasting room, which I would reserve in a heart beat for special occasions. It was also in the basement, with cool lighting and a private bar. Check that out if you find yourself in Ann Arbor. Final Review: stop in for a glass of wine and check out the cellar...but definitely eat at another higher rated restaurant in downtown Ann Arbor.
The most surprising wine find in Ann Arbor was Village Corner, a small "general" shop on the campus of Uof
M. I had read a couple blogs mentioning a decent selection of wine, so I thought I would check it out! Well, you walk into this place and your first impression is not a good one! Dirty shelves of toilet paper and standard college kid dorm goods is an eye sore. But venture deeper in, and you will definitely get a welcoming surprise! Around the corner, and then a few more, you'll find a fantastic selection of wines from around the world - and at very decent prices. Mark and I spent some time perusing the wines and finding some gems and some standards. The Oregon selection was limited, but really good. We found some Bergstrom, St. Innocent, WillaKenzie, and even Patton Valley Vineyards! They were priced accordingly, so you'll have to spend a few extra dollars to sample these Oregon beauties, but know that they are fantastic wines that aren't that readily available - even in Oregon!The one big surprise was finding a Burgundy from Scott Wright's Imported portfolio. For as little wine as Scott imports, it's great that you Ann Arborites have a chance to try them
! My only real complaint regarding Village Corner, is that service is pretty bad. About 4 college kids hang around the register and bs - not one person asked if we had any questions, and I seriously doubt they really would have had any knowledge of the wine anyway. I'm not sure if the owner or someone who is knowledgeable about wine hangs out there in the afternoon...he or she is seriously sitting on some fantastic wine and I would only venture to guess would need to be there to help any serious wine buyer make a selection.But, if you're in the area and need wine, this is a great place to spend some time and money. You just need a little patience - college kids are college kids...
Thankfully, as far as wine consumption during our trip, Mark and I sent some of our favorite wine via UPS to my dad's long before we left. The boys had a good time sampling through a few of my favorites - I always love to see folks enjoy the wine as much as I did! Cheers, Emily
