Buy Local: Cloverleaf Fine Wine

March 28, 2009

Scott Collins of Cloverleaf; All Photos Cr: Brandon Edward Miller

Some people choose to save money by buying their fine wine at Meijer. Some people don’t.

If you want to shop at a local store featuring niche and craft wine, make sure to give Cloverleaf Fine Wine in downtown Royal Oak a visit. Managers Tom Natoci and Scott Collins lead a staff that is dedicated to helping you find the perfect bottle to take to a friend’s place for dinner — or the perfect case to keep in the cellar at home. The store is cool and comfortable — you can linger and study labels on your own, or let the knowledgeable staff know what you’re looking for. They’ve got an extensive selection of wine and beer with a small gourmet food section to boot. If they don’t have exactly what you’re looking for, they’re more than willing to place an order for you.

The first thing you notice when you arrive at Cloverleaf is their unique building. Located at 711 S. Main, the shop is located downstairs in a handsome brick and concrete structure. While it has a cellar-like feel to it (enhanced by reclaimed brick from the original structure), there are plenty of windows. The building is over 100 years old and was originally a power station for street cars that used to rumble down Woodward Avenue. After 50 years of performing this duty, it was turned into a warehouse and then fell into disrepair. In 2008, the Armstrong Design Group won the Business Beautification Award for transforming the dilapidated building into a fine wine shop. There’s also a large room upstairs which can be rented out for events — and it looks like the perfect spot for a new restaurant once this whole economy-thing turns around.

Enough about the building . . . More on the wine and other products available at Cloverleaf (including a really interesting selection of specialty beer), after the jump . . . .

Hint: The Wine's Downstairs

Alright, I’m not going to try to tell you about the subtle differences between a limited intervention blend of 60% shiraz and 40% cab or explain why the store has been able to sell over 40 cases of Chateau Pesquie Quintessence in 5 days — you need to go to the store and ask (or at least sign up for their newsletter)!

Enter the Cellar

But, I will tell you that they have an excellent selection of wine from all over the world. They have a particularly large French stock, but also a nice selection from Michigan wineries as well as more than the normal one or two obligatory ports and sparkling wines/ champagnes. Most of their bottles range from $8-$20, including a “value shelf” of odds and ends around $10-$15.

Wine!

There is also a carefully-selected beer inventory, from the $1.50 – $10 a bottle range, all selected by Terry Jettke, a “retired firefighter, part-time woodworker, and longtime wine enthusiast.”