Downtown Residents discuss the Best Downtown Detroit Wine Bars' Focus on Wonderful "Value" Wines
Downtown Detroit and the Detroit-area Wine Scene
Detroit and southeastern Michigan have an exceptional wine culture. Certainly, there is a great variety of fine wines at their appropriate high prices. But notably, many Downtown Detroit Wine Bars focus on wonderful "value" wines – wines with great taste at a great price.
Only about half of U.S. states are home to a Master Sommelier, and just a handful can point to a woman Master Somm on its roster of wine professionals. Remarkably, Michigan is home to three Master Somms — all of them women.
Most notably for southeast Michigan is Madeline Triffon, an American wine specialist and Master Sommelier. Ms. Triffon has had a significant influence on the Detroit area wine culture - especially in regards to approachable Value Wines. Upon her completion of the Master Sommelier test in 1985, she was the ninth American, the first American woman, and overall, only the second woman in the world to pass. She has been nicknamed "Detroit's First Lady of Wine." In 2012, she was named IntoWine.com's 90th most influential person in the United States wine industry.
Michigan’s enviable group of top-tier sommeliers isn’t the only way the state punches above its weight when it comes to women in the wine industry. From award-winning winemakers and restauranteurs to vineyard owners, distributors, wine bars, and importers, women are undeniably at the forefront of the state’s wine scene.
Recommended Best Downtown Detroit Wine Bars
Ping Ho has transformed the Downtown Detroit wine scene with her Royce Wine Bar and Marrow Restaurant. She purveys a tremendous selection of value wines and is committed to featuring wines made by independent producers, especially those who use biodynamic farming practices or other sustainable methods.
Mikiah Westbrooks recently opened Brix Wine Bar in the Rivertown area of Downtown Detroit, a great new addition to Downtown Detroit Wine Bars. Brix’s new 1,400-square-foot space is a mix between a wine bar and a cozy lounge, with hardwood floors, shelves of red and white wine stocked in one corner and dark red loveseats and small, wooden coffee tables taking up another. A wonderful and comfortable spot to enjoy a bottle or two.
Ladder 4 Wine Bar is another new addition to Downtown Detroit Wine Bars. This is one of the coolest spaces for a bar in Detroit. Ladder 4 occupies a century-old fire station in Southwest Detroit. With seating for 300 on two floors, the space still manages to be intimate, thanks in part to the staff’s dedication to spreading the gospel of natural wines. Rooftop outdoor lounges round out the space for a unique Detroit experience. The wines come from small operations, usually family vintners who produce wines grown organically and biodynamically. An unusual focus on Eastern Europe and the comeback of post-Soviet collective wine practices.
Vertical Detroit Wine Bar and Restaurant is Detroit’s premier high-end wine bar and restaurant. Vertical Detroit serves as a wine bar/restaurant/retail space in the historic Paradise Valley district of Downtown Detroit. Although a great restaurant, this venue has an amazing selection of fine- and value- wines; the wine list is a book of several hundred varietals from around the world. The staff is very wine knowledgeable; it is not uncommon for staff to be pursuing Master Sommelier courses. The renovated below-street-level space offers a warm, inviting space to enjoy your wine. Great outdoor patio in-season.
And, of course, all the dining restaurants in Downtown Detroit have excellent wine lists - expensive and value wines. Additionally, at these restaurants you will find wine-knowledgeable somms or waitstaff to assist with wine selection.
Enjoy your visit to the Best Downtown Detroit Wine Bars!
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