Although not in the Plymouth-Ann Arbor area, Elie Wine Co at 14 Mile and Woodward is terrific for high end wines of mature vintages. He also hosts nice events.
Wow, so much memory in one thread. Village Corner was great when I lived in Ann Arbor in the 90’s. If Ken is offering you a mead tasting take him up on it! In a town of many great mead makers, Ken was at the top. Hi Ken!
Whoa! Hi Len. Great to hear from you, and I hope you are well. I should have figured you’d end up on one of these boards.
I may be wrong, but I am pretty sure the Jorge of Plum Market is the same Jorge who was the Burg guy at VC.
Two more shops worth visiting on the west side are Cantoro’s at 15550 N Haggerty Rd in Plymouth, and Super Fine Wine, 1634 N Haggerty Rd in Canton.
Ken wrote the book on Mead making… literally!
Great memories indeed. Village Corner was such a great place in its original incarnation; I remember the first time I walked in there and was in awe of the number of Champagne producers they carried on their shelves. Dick and Sally had a great team running the wine area of the shop. From what I recall, for the main areas, Rick handled the northern French areas like Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, and the Loire. Rod handled southern France and Germany and Jorge had the New World. Jorge may have also had Spain and I can’t recall who had Italy or Portugal. Rod eventually left for the 1st Plum in Ann Arbor when it opened and then Village Corner shut down for a bit before moving to its new location and format. I think Jorge eventually followed Rod to Plum and I can’t recall what happened to Rick.
I agree with Cantoro’s, mostly for Italian wine, no surprise. Prices are pretty good, too. Great Italian grocery and the trattoria is delicious. Sort of like an Eataly.
This. I used to spend hours there in the late 90s, then continued when I lived in AA again from 2003-06. Jorge is a super nice guy. Rick ornery but knew everything. Rod talkative if in the right mood. My recollection is around 1998 Jorge was the new guy because he’d only been there 10 years.
Sitting on the shelf were wines that were not that well known in the States then. I bought grower champagnes on release from Peters, P. Moncuit, Chiquet, Coutier, Chartogne-Taillet, Aubry, … Stuff I couldn’t find at first in NYC. Deep German section. Juge. Clape, and Chave at reasonable prices. A large Alsatian section. Fantastic Loire wines. Well priced white Burgundy.
The only issue was the store temp. It was buyer beware in those days if the wines sat. And some of them did.
Village corners still has a decent selection. Plum Market is just down the road.
I don’t disagree, but it is nothing compared to what it once was and unfortunately once you got used to the original incarnation, it is hard to let it go.
Jason,
I still recall my first few times in the shop which would have been probably early 2002. Rod would walk silently by me, Rick would give me a stink eye look, and Jorge would want to talk about anything and everything under the sun. On my third or fourth visit, I returned a bottle of Champagne that was damaged from poor storage and it became a jumping off point between Rick and I (he realized that I knew something about wine). Rod joined in on the conversation too and I got to know everyone quite well over the years. There was no such thing as a quick visit after that and I really miss the conversations with those guys. I learned a lot from them especially when it came to food and wine matching. As you said, the main store floor wasn’t the most ideal area for long term wine storage (and some wines sat for years), but at least the basement was good and sometimes they just left some of the good older stuff down there.
Village corner memories, bought these for my parents in 1977:
I think Rick May have ended up owning Bon Vin in my hometown of traverse city. He does a great job with it.
Good call on older stuff left downstairs.
You and I probably overlapped a bit. By my 2003-06 stint, it seemed to me harder for VC to cherry pick gems from Europe as the market for these wines picked up on the coasts and Chicago. Rick, Rod, and Jorge definitely knew a lot, and Rick was good to talk to after he knew you were a geek. Also i went to a couple of their Taster Guild events, which allowed for a more casual atmosphere. Dick was always a bit more aloof.
A number of times recently, I’ve been introduced to alleged “new discovery” grower wines in NYC that I was buying from VC in the late 90s.
That old store was special. It had charm and a certain unmistakable (good) smell. The new store is a strip mall shell. Not a fun place to hang out and not too much on the shelves when I visited (as opposed to internet offerings).
I’ll have to check out Plum Market next time I’m in AA.
Man… really wish I was into fine wine during my college years at AA ('99 - '03.) As it was, VC did play a significant role in the alcohol aspect of my college experience, nonetheless.
LOL
Seth,
Yes, that’s Ric. Mystery solved as to where he ended up. I’ll have to stop by the next time I am in Traverse City as I never knew he opened shop up there. I remember he loved going up to the more northern parts of Michigan and would always come back with stories of all the wines he and his friends drank. Normally 1970’s vintages of high end Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Rhone with the original price tags still on them from the original purchase.
VC and the mouse … LOL Brings back memories. I was a grad student in AA in 1979…
Following this thread with interest as I grew up in Detroit and suburbs, grandparents and a winter inter-session semester in AA. Fond childhood memories of visiting TC, Ludington, Sleeping Bear, Mackinac Island. Heading back in June for the first time in don’t know how long.
Will check out Bon Vin in TC.
Was born and raised in the Motor City burbs and did a four year stint at AA graduating in '80. VC was on my way to campus from The Shack, passed it several times a day and stopped in very frequently. Unfortunately I was not into wine at the time but did manage to keep their beer supply fresh. Oh to know then what I know now. I get back to Mich. a couple times a year and attend a reunion at the UM course each August. Stopped in the new VC and chatted a good while with Dick, talking about the old days, the V Bell, Shakey Jake, Dr. Diag, Mr. Flood’s Party, The Bling Pig, Old Towne, Dooley’s, the Blue Star Bar, 2nd chance, freezing my a$$ off, …