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Feelin’ Fine with Urban Wine Findley Martin is making exceptional wines in Morgantown. Do yourself a favor—get there soon. written by holly leleux-thubron T the Mountain State libations scene. Findley Martin is the brainchild of forever friends Amy Sidwell and Murray Gervais. The pair started making their own wine about three years ago out of Gervais’ kitchen. here’s no need to travel to far-off places for world-class, award- winning wine. Instead, just head to Morgantown and visit one of the latest small businesses to hit
They began by using Concord grapes grown in Sidwell ’s backyard. They gave the fruits of their experiments to friends and family, and soon they could barely keep up with the demand. Sidwell and Gervais developed a label for fun and envisioned a day when it might become widely recognized. The name was inspired by Findley Lake in New York and Lake Martin in Alabama, places close to each woman’s heart. The bottles are bold and blue, and the label features criss-crossed canoe paddles—more homage to the lake waters of their childhoods. Under the Findley Martin label, they entered six of their wines into an amateur winemaking competition in March 2019. The pair walked away with medals for four of their six varietals and a newfound belief that they could do this for real. They started the cumbersome state and federal permitting process that would allow them to sell their wines to the public soon after and found a home for Findley Martin on Morgantown’s Mileground in November 2019. Sidwell and Gervais incorporate local ingredients when possible and are part of a new breed of wine makers using grape juice
concentrates—always in season—purchased from specialized suppliers. Tastings are offered in the small room that also houses their three large
stainless steel tanks and a space for displaying West Virginia–made goods. Their bread and butter—a cabernet sauvignon—is first on the current tasting menu, followed by their sauvignon blanc and muscat canelli. They pair each with tasty small bites. For now, you can only buy Findley Martin wines from the small storefront. That is, until Sidwell and Gervais finish the final round of permitting, which will allow a distributor to sell the distinctive blue bottles to restaurants and shops. Morgantown wine lovers will want to check this place out soon. You might be lucky enough to catch one of the pair’s more exotic concoctions, like the award-winning tart cherry; their newest experiment, chocolate cherry; or a fan favorite: marionberry wine. 1533 Mileground Road, Morgantown, 304.554.9663, findleymartin.com, @findleymartinwines on Facebook
38 wvl • summer 2020
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