By Chase Holmes, News Reporter
TRUSSVILLE – Corbeau Wine Bar opened its doors in the Trussville Entertainment District on May 3.
(Photo by Chase Holmes)
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Mary Martin, co-owner, “we have had a lot of great support from the community and we feel really grateful that everyone is so excited for us to be here.”
Dean Maio, co-owner, has a special term to describe the the environment they are looking to curate.
“There is a segment in the industry in between casual and fine dining I like to call polish-casual,” he said. “It’s nothing that’s pretentious or servers in uniform, but it’s not casual either. There’s an elevated service model and we are very structured and intent on providing that elevated service to Trussville.”
View of the open floor plan including taps and full bar (Photo by Chase Holmes)
“We provide what I call silent service where we’ll engage with you at the table but at the same time we’re going to refill your glass of water if we walk by. We’re going to fold your napkin and set it in front of you, but it’s not going to be anything in a stuffy environment,” he said. “We want to provide that little extra touch to make the customer experience the best we can make it.”
Corbeau is well lit with clean white chairs and an open floor plan. Glass roll up doors can be lifted so that customers can experience a cool breeze or listen to a band playing in the courtyard of the Trussville Entertainment District.
Back inside, Corbeau offers a diverse range of drinking amenities for customers but the most intriguing are the 48 self-service wines on tap.
Elizabeth Martin, sister to Mary and co-owner, said the reception has been great.
“It’s pretty easy once you get somebody to walk you through it the first time,” she said. “Everybody has loved it.”
Maio did just that and broke down the steps on how it works:
- Pick a glass from the shelves underneath the taps
- Find the wine of your choice from the 48 available
- Use the touchscreen to pick how many ounces you would like (1, 2.5, or 5 ounces)
- Scan your debit or credit card
- Wait for the wine to pour and the tap to purge
48 available self service wine taps (Photo by Chase Holmes)
They invite customers to either reuse their glasses or get a fresh one when trying different wines.
The Martin sisters said the Moscato and the Riesling are the top two favorites.
In the back corner of Corbeau, there is also a selection of sparkling wines and even beer available for self-pour. The wine taps use argon gas, while the sparkling wine and beer taps use traditional C02 so they are separated.
Sitting against the back wall of Corbeau is a selection of wines for retail purchase. The wine wall holds approximately 150 wines available for sale that customers can take home. Maio said they plan to increase the number of available wines for sale in the near-future. He said that seeing customers enjoy a particular wine on tap and then buy a bottle to take home has been great.
“To see the range of old world and new world wines that we have has taken-aback some of our customer base,” he said, “we’ve actually enjoyed seeing someone have a great experience and then walk away with a great bottle of wine.”
Mary said that retail is an important part of their identity as a business.
The wall wine of available wines for purchase (Photo by Chase Holmes)
“We really want people to come to think of us as a place to come and stock their shelves, buy gifts, and we’ve got some great stuff,” she said.
Corbeau offers a discount on both a full and half case of wine.
For those who want to come experience Corbeau but might not be looking for wine on that particular occasion, they also has a full bar where you can purchase a signature cocktail, canned beer, and several beers on tap.
For those looking to grab a bite to eat, Corbeau offers a full menu. Maio said they worked hard on the menu to make it just as important as the wine. They offer a wide range of food from charcuterie boards to flatbreads.
“Everything is made from scratch. Homemade recipes, my recipes,” he said. “We get deliveries every day, there is nothing frozen, and nothing is fried. It doesn’t matter if you’re getting ranch dressing with your salad or a drizzle of barbecue sauce on a flatbread, it’s all made from scratch.”
Speaking of flatbread, Maio said they are by far the most popular menu item they have.
“We’re blowing through flatbreads, our most popular is the New York flatbread,” he said. “We average probably 15 to 20 a night and upwards of 40 to 50 on the weekends. If you have ever had anything in New York pizza-wise, you would definitely recognize the sauce. What’s unique about all of our flatbreads, whether it’s the meat or the cheese, we utilize the same high-end meats and cheeses we utilize on our charcuterie, on our flatbreads.” He said he is particularly excited to experiment with a Munster cheese they just received.
Maio said the menu is progressive and will continue to grow and expand.
“We wanted to start off with a modest menu that we’ve gotten some great feedback on, but it will eventually progress into some hors d’oeuvres and small plates so look forward to seeing that in the near future.”
From left to right: Mary Martin, Elizabeth Martin, and Dean Maio, co-owners (Photo by Chase Holmes)
On the wine side of Corbeau, Mary Martin said they are going to start wine education classes in the next couple of weeks which could include some tastings with some of their vendors or a session with a wine maker. We’re going to do some food and wine pairing classes you can buy tickets to.”
Maio said they are excited about the future and hope they bring something unique to Trussville.
“Not only is this a great place to network, drink some wine with joy and make some friends, it’s also the place you can get a fantastic bottle of wine that you’re not going to be able to find anywhere in town,” he said.
Corbeau is open Monday-Thursday from 4- 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 4- 11 p.m., and Sunday from 12- 7 p.m. You can find them at 160 Morrow Avenue, Suite 112.
They are currently hiring for all positions.
You can find them online at their website, Facebook, and Instagram.
