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Photos by Erin Nelson.
Elizabeth Martin, left, and Mary Martin, sisters and co-owners of Corbeau Wine Bar in downtown Trussville.
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Photos by Erin Nelson.
The shop in downtown Trussville sells a variety of wines, offers small plates and appetizers and hosts tastings twice a month at the shop.
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Photos by Erin Nelson.
The shop in downtown Trussville sells a variety of wines, offers small plates and appetizers and hosts tastings twice a month at the shop.
The Trussville Entertainment District’s newest tenant is Corbeau Wine Bar, which opened in May.
Located in a corner space on Morrow Avenue, Corbeau Wine Bar has established a reputation as a relaxing spot for a glass of wine, charcuterie or flatbread pizza. It is owned by sisters Mary and Elizabeth Martin and their husbands, John and Mark (also siblings, The sisters are originally from Scottsboro but independently moved to the Trussville area and shared a passion for wine.
For years, Mary and Elizabeth often discussed going into business together but never quite landed on the right idea. However, inspiration struck while Elizabeth Martin, then a traveling nurse, was chatting with a friend over a glass of wine in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“I was sitting in a wine bar one evening with a nurse friend of mine and looking around, and I thought, ‘Trussville absolutely needs a wine bar,’” she said. “So I approached Mary, and I said, ‘What would you think If we opened a wine bar in Trussville?’ We kind of just went from there.”
“I have a background in event planning and hosting, so it suits both of us,” Mary added. “She is the wine person, and I am the hostess and event planner.”
From conception to opening, it took the Martins almost two years to hone their concept, scout for locations and comb through piles of research. The sisters needed time to fine-tune their wine knowledge and develop relationships with suppliers and other wine-industry insiders who could help them bring their idea to life.
“From the time we said, ‘What do you think?’ to actually looking for a place was about a year,” Elizabeth said. “We researched for at least six months. It was quite the process. We didn’t just jump into this blindly. We really tried to absorb ourselves in it as much as possible.”
However, one element that the Martins knew could make or break their wine bar was the location. They were insistent that it had to be in the Trussville Entertainment District.
“We always wanted to be in the Entertainment District,” Mary said. “We felt like it was a good fit for the community.”
“Honestly, we maybe wouldn’t have done it had we not been able to be in the Entertainment District,” Elizabeth added. “What we offer is so much different than a sports bar or a brewery that [the Entertainment District] just grounds everything we’re doing.”
Taking as their inspiration the wine shops and cafes of French culture, they christened the cafe Corbeau, the French word for “Crow,” their maiden name. The atmosphere of Corbeau is classic French Provençal, with a modern twist.
The Martins understand that the world of wine can be overwhelming, especially for newcomers who are interested in moving up from the typical choices on supermarket shelves.
A self-described “wine nerd,” Elizabeth is, perhaps, slightly more knowledgeable about wines than her sister, but it’s clear they both are well-versed in wine, though neither could be described as a “wine snob.” The Martins designed Corbeau Wine Bar as an inviting and casual space that is fun and accessible to everyone, rather than a clinical, museum-like atmosphere where newbies are afraid of messing up.
“Wine by itself can be so intimidating,” Elizabeth said. “The last thing we wanted was to create a space that felt intimidating on its own as well.”
Corbeau’s bar and retail wine selections are curated and constantly evolving, representing old-world wines from France, Italy and Spain and new-world selections from the U.S., Chile, Argentina and Australia, just to name a few. The Martins are eager to show interesting wines from around the globe.
Corbeau is also one of the only wine bars in the state and the only one in the Birmingham metro area to offer the Napa Technology WineStation, a self-serve system allowing customers to pour small samples or full servings of dozens of wines on display.
The Martins have regularly scheduled events on the calendar each month, such as wine tastings and classes educating people on how to host their own wine tastings. The sisters said their goal is to demystify wine and provide people with an opportunity to explore and develop a deeper appreciation.
“We have people who are novices to wine and we have people who enjoy it and collect wine, and we’ve had a lot of people who are somewhere in between,” Mary said. “That’s the fun part of this job. Finding a wine that somebody loves.”
Corbeau Wine Bar is located at 160 Morrow Ave, Suite 112, and is open on Tuesdays through Thursdays from 4 to 10 p.m., Fridays from 4 to 11 p.m., Saturdays from noon to 11 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 7 p.m.
Visit corbeaubar.com for more information.
