Blending wine and technology
Finch Fine Wines uses a ‘virtual cellar’ to broaden its offerings to customers
For decades, attorney and wine lover Ed Finch bought wine at the old Western Supermarket in Mountain Brook Village, one of the most popular wine retailers in Alabama.
In January 2019, when Publix bought out Western and announced plans to close its stores, Finch knew there would be a void in the Birmingham wine market.
He responded by opening Finch Fine Wines in Mountain Brook Plaza in November 2019.
Village Living asked Finch recently if he believed that his shop has successfully filled that gap in the market.
“Yes, in the sense that we have provided a high-quality shop,” he said, adding that he and his staff also make the shop “user-friendly” for customers.
However, he said he believes they “have done more than fill this void.”
They’ve “developed a new time-saving way to buy wine and provided a wider variety to choose from,” he said.
Finch Fine Wines
► 2737 U.S. 280 S., Suite 144
► 205-441-8122
► Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
In fact, Finch Fine Wines bills itself as two shops in one — a retail location offering top-selling wines and an online store with a much deeper cellar. Finch does this by bringing together wine and technology, according to a recent news release from the store.
The shop incorporates the wine portfolios of local distributors into an online platform at its website.
“Customers now have the ability to shop from our ‘virtual cellar,’ containing thousands of wines, rather than just the few hundred at the storefront,” the release states.
On the website, customers can select from several hundred wines on hand in the shop and about 2,000 that can be available for pickup the next business day, Finch said.
After registering in the store with a photo ID, customers can purchase wine online and pick them up at the store.
“Click your mouse, you own it, and you have paid,” Finch said. “No need to swipe a card in these pandemic days.”
Safe, contactless curbside pickup is available, as well.
In fact, the store’s online sales and curbside pickup have become increasingly popular since the coming of COVID-19, Finch said.
“Even if it’s one bottle, we happily bring it to the car for our customers,” he said.
The store has also hosted about 50 virtual events, including tastings, since the pandemic began, Finch said.
The shop was among the first in America to host virtual tastings, Finch said.
“We don’t know of another shop that does it the way we do it,” he said. “We’re engaged in ‘edu-tainment.’ We’re educating our viewers about wine generally.”
The tastings are “interactive and fun,” he said.
Viewer participation is encouraged, and the event accommodates wine lovers of all knowledge levels, Finch said.
“We provide pairing suggestions, and it can be like a dinner party with participants speaking to each other, not just a wine distributor selling their wine,” Finch said.
There are two full-time and four part-time employees at the shop. Nate Dauphin, a certified sommelier, serves as general manager.
The store presents virtual tastings via Zoom each Friday from 6-7 p.m. The participants taste and discuss wines from around the world.
Finch, who grew up in Crestline, likes his store’s location in Mountain Brook Plaza. It offers “customer-friendly parking and great access from Mountain Brook, Homewood, Vestavia and Cahaba Heights,” he said.