The Wine Merchant

We’re on the email list here and hustled to book a $ 15 wine flight tasting when we saw Orin Swift premium wines ($ 47-​$ 73 a bottle) on a tasting menu — good thing because it sold out.
We sampled Machete, Papillon, Palermo, the Prisoner, all big cherry blends with warm fig, plummy vanilla notes and sophisticated tannins (although the Papillon felt a little harsh for the first 25 minutes, we liked last year’s from the dispenser better).
We stumbled on a tasting here when our regular friday night spot was closed — and what a find. That Friday they offered $ 3 (half off premium $ 40+ wines on Wed/​Fri eve) tastings of Orin Swift’s the Prisoner (a $ 50 wine that is my current favorite). Where else can you taste a full pour of Orin Swift red blend for under $ 10? And, they introduced us to our new favorite champagne, Jean Vesselle –a peachy, toasty, hints of strawberry find with tiny pearly bubble mousse, available in splits for $ 27.95! Amazing. Love these folks. Buy a $ 20 wine swipe card for the tasting bar and try at your pleasure.

I love wine!!! I am no wine snob but I love my wine — this place is definitely worth checking out! The gentleman that works there was very accommodating, they didn’t carry one of the wines I was looking for so he took down the information to see if he can contact their seller to see if he can order some. They even have a wine tasting room. I definitely need to come back here with my girlfriends to try some of the wines here. They even have a sale section where you can get your wine under 10 bucks. It’s also near a Thai restaurant where you can BYOB. So pick up a bottle of wine and head over to Asiana afterwards for some food, to help with that wine buzz…

I love the atmosphere of TWM. The staff are knowledgeable and able to make suggestions for the novice all the way to the winemaker. Each wine they pick out for me is better than the first as they learn and adjust according to your reviews.
My favorite event is the WineStation Wednesdays because the shop turns into a gathering of friends. Wednesdays are surely a party each week and the highlight to my hump day.

First off, I have to note that I haven’t given the Wine Merchant a try yet because I was afraid of the lack of parking based on the busy street it’s on. However, there is a lot behind the building!
I came in to try to track down an awesome wine I tried on vacation the other week, and also to try some wines. We didn’t go to a regularly scheduled wine tasting (Fridays and Saturdays usually), but just wanted to try stuff they had on tap on their wine machines. We found the wines in the machine to be good, but kind of out of our price range (most of them were over $ 50 a bottle, one was $ 99) — so we weren’t going to be buying anything we tried, which is half the fun of a wine tasting!
Their selection seems good, but there were a lot of bottles on the floor, and I was afraid that I was going to knock them over just while looking, and it made it hard to see stuff. The staff was really friendly, and even though they didn’t have the wine I was looking for, looked it up in their system to see if they could get it (they couldn’t). Most places will take your information and call you back only if they got it, so it was nice to get a definitive answer right away.

I started going to Wine Merchant after I received a Wine of the Month membership as a Christmas gift, and just love everything about it! You obviously can’t go wrong walking into an establishment dedicated entirely to vino, but Wine Merchant offers a variety of tastings. They have daily tastings for 25 cents each and their bigger tastings are on Fridays and Saturdays. Unfortunately, their tasting room is rather small and kind of resembles a back storage room (they probably need to update the décor and put some of the boxes in the ACTUAL storage room), but we were happy to discover that you get unlimited pours during the tasting hours. The serve some hors d’oeuvres, but don’t come with an empty stomach because they are a wine shop for a reason. They’re also very accommodating and will open any bottle to taste before you buy. PLUS you can sample any of the wines available at the WineStation (go on Wednesdays for half-​off all pours), so whether you’re there for a 25 cent tasting, visit to the WineStation, weekend tasting, or just to buy a bottle of fabulous wine, you reaaaaally can’t go wrong.

People from all over Cincinnati shop at The Wine Merchant, which tells you a lot about the store. If you live fairly close by, as I do, there’s no reason to go anywhere else. The selection is great, the staff is knowledgeable and friendly, the atmosphere is laid back. There’s a daily tasting bar that has a dozen or so wines available for sampling, and there are tastings every other Friday evening (eight moderately-​priced wines) and almost every Saturday between noon and 5:00 (four higher-​end wines). You can find details on the store’s website,
. They also have an Ultimate Wine Station that stores eight higher-​end to very-​high-​end wines, and you can try one-​, two-​, or four-​ounce pours of any one you choose. The wines in the Station are constantly changing, and they’re 50% off on Wednesday afternoons. What I really enjoy, though, are the people, both the people who work there and the regulars (and non-​regulars) you run into and, after a while, get to know. Shop there a couple of times and you’ll be hooked.

The workers are nice and the wine selection is decent. However, the wine tasting was terrible! The servers did not know anything about the wines; for one bottle they actually had to go to the vendor’s website and look up what type of wine they had served us. 3 of the 4 wines they served during the tasting were terrible, and when they switched from red to white, they did not clean out our glasses. These are minor details but combined led to a poor wine tasting experience.
Go here to buy wine, but don’t go here to taste!

After reading the previous reviews listed here on Unilocal I wanted to try The Wine Merchant, I’ve driven by their location hundreds of times living right in the Oakley neighborhood.
After dinner at Abigail Street a few weeks ago me and few friends enjoyed Reginato «Celestina» sparkling rose malbec 2008, argentina and I was on a mission to find it in town. A friends birthday is this weekend and she’s talked about non-​stop how much she enjoyed this wine.
I called The Wine Merchant on Monday to ask if they had this wine, Kathee answered the phone, very pleasant and friendly immediately. This wine they didn’t have at the store at the time, but she said she would be happy to research with her wine distributors and call Abigail Street to find out where they purchase this wine.
She called me back the next day informing me she found the wine and could have it by the end of the week just in time for friends birthday and also recommended a similar Alma Negra which was a bit cheaper, I ordered both.
They called me this afternoon to let me know the wine was in, I picked up the wine today after work. I was welcomed by three staff members including Kathee from walking in the store.
Kathee said since my call they received several more inquiries about this wine and ordered a case to have in the store.
They asked me for my email address, they will keep a record of the wines I purchased and I’m able to setup my wine preferences in my account.
I will definitely return to purchase more wine and will bring friends back for an upcoming tasting. Thank you.

The Wine Merchant is amazing. I say this, when there are two other really great wine shops within walking distance from me, and I don’t get to frequent those (and take advantage of their tastings) as often as I’d like. I have to get in the car and drive, and I STILL give the Wine Merchant five stars. Here is why:
1) Tastings – any time: At any given time they are open, they have about five affordable wines available to try for a small fee. They also have a special «WineStation» room, which is more expensive wines. I haven’t tried that one yet but I’m really looking forward to it.
2) Tastings – events: They also have regular tastings, Friday nights, etc, which they announce via email and Facebook. I also haven’t been able to attend these yet, but look forward to it.
3) Knowledgeable Staff: I really enjoy talking with the staff when I’m there. Because I don’t go all that often, I haven’t really developed a relationship – but I can tell that when we do, they will get to know my palate and give recommendations.
This is odd, but I just feel that it’s a very knowledgeable, generous place. They love wine, and they want you to as well. Love them!

This place is small, intimate and has a great selection of wines.
Staff is very knowledgeable and helpful. I like the fact that they enter your name in the database so that you can receive emails and specials. It also keeps track of purchases of your wine. If anything new comes in similar to the wines I usually get, it will be mentioned in your email. That is awesome! I always like trying different brands of wines.
Have not tried the tastings, would love to in the near future.

Best wine shop in Cincinnati, and I believe I’ve done my homework. The staff is knowledgeable and accessible. They pay careful attention to their patrons’ preferences and seek out wines to both suit and surprise their palates.
And you simply can’t beat a place that has 10+ bottles of wine open for you to taste a wine before you purchase. Eliminates that chance of bringing home a bottle of wine you’ve never tasted and being disappointed. (And if you don’t care for any of the bottles they have opened, you can trust the staff to guide you to the right bottle for your taste, the food you’re preparing, and your budget.) Love this place.

I had a dream about this place last night, and so I thought it appropriate to write a review today.
The Wine Merchant is Cincinnati’s première wine shop and tasting room. I’ve found their staff to be knowledgeable and courteous, their wines to be tasty and unique, and their location off Edwards Road in Hyde Park could not be more convenient.
The Wine Merchant isn’t just a place to buy wine — it’s also a great place to taste wine. Whether you’re just sampling the wines of the moment or coming in for a special high-​end tasting, The Wine Merchant offers a great opportunity for connaisseurs and novices alike to find out why wine has been around for thousands of years.

The Wine Merchant is a great location for me. I can literally walk there and buy a great bottle of wine for later that evening. I try to rationalize it by telling myself that at least I walked there and got some exercise :)
The staff are well-​informed and welcoming. At some other wine shops I have felt embarrassed to say that I want an «economically priced» bottle of wine when they ask what what I’m looking for. I’m in grad school so I’m nowhere near wealthy. The staff at The Wine Merchant are never pretentious acting and always have great suggestions. I have never been disappointed in their recommendations or prices. They also sell some cute wine accessories if you’re looking for a gift!

In my opinion, this is the best place to find fine wine in the city! They have a wide variety of wines normally with several vintages to choose from. Their staff is extremely knowledgeable and has always been able to pair a wine with my needs.
They have a website which is fairly easy to navigate and helps me browse before I buy.
Wine of the month club is a must. I give them four stars for great location, excellent knowledge and service, great pricing, and a fantastic selection of wine!