Market Wines: Your new neighborhood wine shop

A new wine shop is having a soft opening at 128 W Elder Street in Over-the-Rhine, adjacent to Findlay Market.

Market Wines occupies a former bar with old wood and fixtures - warm and comfortable.

The shop currently carries around 300 varieties of wine, but can expand up to 500 based on customer demand.

And while many of the brands are unique and unfamiliar, customers will also see labels that they know and recognize.

Owner Michael Maxwell is considering adding kosher and biodynamic wines, and is exploring relationships with local wineries.

"I know that people who come down here come for quality and thats the kind of wine I want to sell," he says.

The shop also carries a selection of micro-brewed and imported beers and wine accessories.

After working on the distribution side, Maxwell says he missed talking about the contents of the bottles - and connecting with customers.

"It's great to have my passion and my vocation together," he says.  "It's been a lot of fun."

Maxwell has been coming to Findlay Market for 15 years, and he says that he felt the timing the opportunity was just right.

“It was a no-brainer," he says.  "It has always been a dream of mine and with the increased redevelopment of this area and the influx of new downtown residents, this just seemed like the perfect time to open the shop."

The official grand opening of Market Wines is March 29.

"We want people to keep thinking of us as their local wine shop," Maxwell says.

Writer: Kevin LeMaster
Source: Michael Maxwell, Market Wines; Media release
Photography by Scott Beseler and Kevin LeMaster