This Middle GA wine shop caters to needs of both wine novices and aficionados

Nestled among the boutiques and restaurants along Carroll Street in downtown Perry is a gem of a shop for both the wine connoisseur and the novice.

At Clover Wine Merchant at 907 Carroll St., customers may purchase a bottle of wine for as low $25 or as high $900.

Regardless of the price, the wine is selected with care by certified sommelier Michael Tomlin. He and his wife of 27 years, Lannette, own the shop named after their granddaughter, Clover.

“We’re not a bar. We’re a tasting room,” Michael Tomlin said. “We’re about educating and about wine. We want to take away the intimidation factor and make wine fun.”

When customers step into the shop, they’ll find a cozy room with comfortable chairs near a fireplace where they can enjoy a glass of wine.

They can also take away a glass of wine in a plastic cup and take in the sights and sounds of Perry’s downtown.

In the city’s downtown restaurant district, alcoholic beverages purchased from a licensed restaurant, vendor or seller like Clover Wine Merchant, may be carried in plastic cups in public spaces within the district between 11 a.m. and midnight daily. Public spaces include sidewalks, rights of way, buildings and public parks.

Or a customer might stop in to purchase a bottle of wine to go, and if desired, take advantage of the expertise offered by Tomlin to select the perfect wine to pair with a certain food for special occasions, an evening with friends or just everyday dining at home.

A popular place

Trish Cossart of Cossart Design happened to stop in on the same afternoon that The Telegraph came by unannounced to check out the wine shop.

Cossart wanted to buy some wine as a gift for a client. She asked Tomlin for his help in making the selection.

“This is a popular place,” said Cossart, who left with two bottles of wine. “I think it’s great. People really seem to respond to it, and it looks good.”

On the same afternoon, Allan Bass, also a certified sommelier and a wine and spirits account manager for Eagle Rock Distributing Company, arrived with bottles of wine from the Purple Hands Winery in Dundee, Oregon. The old friends toasted and talked shop before getting down to business of whether Tomlin wanted to purchase the wines.

In the back of the wine store is a large room for private or ticketed events such as wine tastings. “Aged to Perfection” was a recent educational wine tasting in which participants tasted and learned about wines that were 25 years and older. Another was on “Wines of the U.S.”

In live Zoom events, Tomlin brings in a wine grower live on a large screen during a wine tasting during which guests can interact and ask questions.

“We’re here about the education of wine,” Tomlin reiterated. “We’re here to give the person knowledge.

“So many factors go into a bottle of wine: It’s nourishment. It’s food. It’s history in the bottle.”

‘God is good’

A California native, Tomlin had been in the restaurant industry for 30 years when he lost his job during COVID-19. He then started an online wine business.

But his heart was in Perry, where his granddaughter and her parents moved. Clover’s mom is their daughter. The Tomlins have been traveling back and forth from Perry since 1993.

Moving to Perry April 2 of last year, Michael Tomlin said he figured he’d sell wine out of his home and deliver it. But then, he and his wife decided to go all in and open a shop.

They started with popup events outside their shop before opening their doors Sept. 5. They thought it would be a good way to generate some revenue and meet people. The building also needed renovation.

On opening day, they started with 30 different wine labels. Today, they’re up to 150.

“God is good,” Tomlin said.

Tomlin also stocks some choice meat and cheese options at the shop, including cheese from Sweet Grass Dairy in Thomasville.

“I really thought I knew wine before getting bitten by the wine bug,” Tomlin said. “The world of wine and how it’s grown and made — this whole new world opened up.”

This story was originally published July 9, 2021 at 5:00 AM.