Our beer and wine department is certainly not a run-of-the-mill operation. It's so unique we won "Best of Detroit" from MetroTimes in 2008 and 2010: The glowing review from 2008:
"While just about every small market offers beer and wine, most of them simply line the shelves with the same corporate swill you find in the big chains. It's remarkable what Western Market has been able to do with their limited space. From organic to obscure and in-between, the lone wine aisle is stocked with everyday drinking wine, mostly below $15, with a few real gems on the higher end. Square footage for beer is even less, yet Michigan microbreweries and other artisanal producers are soundly represented."
We like the review from 2010 even better:
"Wine is an agricultural product and belongs in grocery stores. Unfortunately, the typical selection in these establishments is bleak, full of corporate labels. But Ferndale's Western Market brings fine wine to the people. Shelves are loaded with everything from bargain table wines to obscure, small production, natural wines that tastemakers in New York and San Francisco have been gushing over for the past couple of years."
Our wine buyers Jarred and Lewis choose wines on what they like, products that we all can really believe in, mostly from producers that really love what they make. Whether a wine has points in a magazine, or is the best seller in its category, or whatever other sales pitch a vendor brings us, it all pales in importance that a wine has integrity. Those wines are often what we call "real" or "natural" wine- wine made with traditional techniques, from interesting places, by artisans that care- not the bland, lifeless result of focus groups or corporate sales staffs always chasing the trends. We'll be blogging about wine and the stories behind it here on this site on a regular basis, and we hope you'll follow along.
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Special In-Store Wine Tasting with Jules Dressner This Friday!
May 22, 2013 - Posted by Steve Lofman in Western Market 
If you shop our wine department, you're probably familiar with the name Louis/Dressner. They import many of the most interesting, authentic, and enjoyable wines in the world, and we stock every single one that we can get our hands on. Their winemakers hail from a diverse array of locales across France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Chile, but are all united by their commitment to healthy, organic viticulture and traditional, natural winemaking techniques.     
St. Patrick's Day
March 15, 2013 - Posted by Steve Lofman in Western Market 
St. Patrick’s Day is one of the only holidays in this country that is celebrated nationally, but is not recognized as a legal holiday. Primarily observed as a recognition of Irish and Irish American culture, this day is celebrated by prominently displaying the color green, feasting, consuming large amounts of alcohol, numerous parades, and affectionately pinching anyone not wearing green. This holiday has been celebrated on the North American continent since the late 18th century.
Happy New Year!
December 31, 2012 - Posted by Steve Lofman in Western Market 
2012 was certainly a great year for us. We saw many new Michigan products hit our shelves, a nice big bike rack constructed in front of our store, and our customers’ smiling faces. We have a feeling that 2013 will be just as amazing! Western Market will continue to bring you fresh food, great deals, community involvement, and friendly advice. If there is anything we missed this year, please let us know. We’re always looking for ways to satisfy our customers.
Big Wine Tasting This Friday!
December 12, 2012 - Posted by Steve Lofman in Western Market 
We're so excited for our wine tasting this Friday that we wanted to share some of the 30 wines we'll be featuring. Yes- 30 wines, all of them good, for only $24. We'll be spending the evening on the rarely-seen and almost-spooky second floor of the Ferndale Elks Lodge, right near Nine Mile and Woodward. Tickets are available at Western Market, or at the door if still available, and the event starts at 7 and goes until 10. On to the wines already:
Wine Tasting
November 27, 2012 - Posted by Steve Lofman in Western Market 
Wine. We have a lot of it. And since we prefer limited-production wines crafted by grape-growers rather than million-bottle runs by huge companies, much of what we have isn’t seen very often. We also enjoy drinking wines from places that get overlooked, each of which has its own varieties, customs, and notable producers; but names like Bugey, Pineau d’Aunis, and Frappato don’t do much to let you know what the wine is really like, at least not until you’ve had a chance to familiarize yourself with them.
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