Summer Series #4 - Grapes of Mirth

In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage. ~The Grapes of Wrath

 
Location:

Grapes of Mirth

59 West Spruce Street

Columbus, Ohio 43015

614-221-9463

Located on the east wall of the North Market, Grapes of Mirth is your one-stop-shop for all exotic beer and wine needs.  They feature over 600 wines and 200 beers, all crammed into a teeny tiny area comprised mostly of eight to ten foot high shelves and small wooden skids with the occasional haphazard stack of cardboard crates.

David Bihn has owned Grapes of Mirth since 2003 and, according to the website, has been with the company for over fourteen years.  He’s a friendly fellow,  always ready to lead you to your favorite bottle or suggest something new if they don’t have what you’re looking for; however, if they don’t have what you want, he will gladly order it on the spot.
 

Grapes of Mirth features artisan wines as well as “commercial” wines, and they carry a plethora of Ohio wines as well.  From what I could tell, many of the Ohio wines available are not readily available in your everyday local wine shop or grocery store.  Yay, Locavores!  They have the largest selection of Belgian beers in the central Ohio area, possibly in all of Ohio, and the best part of the beer selection (and the wine selection) is that if you ask David a question, odds are he knows the answer.  Not only does Grapes of Mirth have the physical inventory, they also have the mental inventory.

When I stopped by Grapes of Mirth, I was on a mission: find Vinho Verde, my number one most favorite wine of all time.  It’s a sweeter wine, which I normally don’t care for, but the fermentation and bottling processes cause the wine to have a slightly carbonated feel about it – not as fizzy as beer or pop but definitely more tickly to your tongue than a normal white wine.  I was in luck – big time – because David had just gotten in a large shipment of Vinho Verde!  There were four inexpensive choices ranging from $5.99 to $7.99.  At the time I thought I was just getting lucky on the price, for in the past I had paid up to $15.99 per bottle at another wine shop near Dublin.  Apparently Grapes of Mirth always sells their Vinho Verde for these low-low prices!  Having worked in yet another wine shop since that day, I can tell you 100% that you will NOT find a lower price on this delicious wine.

Official tasting parties or events are not regularly scheduled, but you can arrange a “private” tasting with the owner.  Obviously Ohio laws call for a charge, but this is typical of all alcohol tasting venues and events.  Also for sale at Grapes of Mirth are different accessories, such as gift bags, wine keys, corkscrews and so forth.

For more information, visit their website here.

Overall Scores: (1-5, 1 being lowest, 5 highest)                    

Cleanliness: 3 (everything has that dusty wine-cellar feel to it)

Value: 5

Accessibility: 3 (the North Market is easy to get to, the shop is easy to get to, the bottle are definitely not easy to get to!)

Friendliness: 5

Menu: n/a but the selection is mind-boggling!