Photo courtesy of Hodges & Associates.
Ed Finch opened Finch Fine Wines in Mountain Brook Plaza in November.
Ed Finch shopped for wine at Western Supermarkets for more than three decades. He enjoyed the store’s diverse selection and appreciated the high quality customer service.
When Publix purchased Western in January 2019, Finch knew there would be a void in the Birmingham wine market. Now, he’s trying to fill it.
Finch opened Finch Fine Wines in November at 2737 U.S. 280 S., Suite 144, near the Hampton Inn and Taziki’s in Mountain Brook Plaza.
The store carries between 225 to 250 different wines from around the world, and thousands more are available through its online ordering system.
“We have enough at the shop to satisfy anybody,” Finch said, “and if we don’t have it, absolutely we’ll have it the next day.”
Due to Birmingham’s smaller size — compared to places such as New York City, Philadelphia and San Francisco — it doesn’t attract as much attention from wine producers and importers, Finch said.
“What I am trying to do is provide more access to wines that are available in the market but are not necessarily available on retailers’ shelves,” he said.
Customers can peruse Finch’s full wine assortment at finchfinewines.com. After registering in the store with a photo ID, they will we able to pick up their orders curbside from Finch staff.
“You don’t have to go to the store to find out whether it’s there or not,” Finch said. “We’re really pitching convenience as a time-saving matter.”
Finch has hired two former Western employees, Wendy Watts and Todd Russell, as his manager and assistant manager. They possess a wealth of wine knowledge, along with years of industry experience.
Finch met them when he was their customer.
“I’ve tasted wines with them for a very long time—many, many, many times,” Finch said. “These are pros. These are wonderful people.”
Finch said he thought for a few months about starting his own wine shop after learning of Western’s fate.
But it wasn’t until May that he began to work hard on turning his idea into a reality.
Thus began the next chapter in Finch’s wine journey, which began when he was a young lawyer on Wall Street.
“I had the good luck to have some friends practicing law up there at the same time, and we used to go out and search for the best wine shop in Manhattan,” Finch said. “They knew a lot about wine. Their families had wine cellars. I knew nothing about wine, and it was a great education.”
Finch eventually found the shop he was looking for. It was run by wine seller Bernie Fradin, who became Finch’s mentor.
Finch now has his own wine collection, and he’s not alone.
He said Birmingham is home to many wine collectors on whom he’ll be relying to support his business.
So far, so good.
“We’ve been wonderfully blessed with great response from the community,” Finch said.
Finch Fine Wines is open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
For more information, visit its website, search @finchfinewines on social media or call 205-441-8122.
