Meet the Woman on a Mission to Make Atlanta's Wine Scene More Inclusive

For most of her adult life, Steffini Bethea liked to unwind with a glass ofvwin德赢ac米兰. But she admits now that she was doing it all wrong.

她说：“我总是坚持相同的品种。”“不是因为我爱他们，而是因为我太吓人了，无法要求其他东西。如果我想喝白葡萄酒，我会订购霞多丽，如果我想要红酒，那永远是赤霞珠。”vwin德赢ac米兰

A vacation to Malaga,Spain，永远改变了Bethea的葡萄酒生活。vwin德赢ac米兰“我体验了坦普拉尼略（Tempranillo），这是一种黑色的葡萄，种植了浓郁的红葡萄酒，并爱上了它复杂而咸味的味道。”vwin德赢ac米兰那时，她意识到自己有多少剥夺了自己不可思议的葡萄酒，只是因为她太害怕走出舒适区。vwin德赢ac米兰

While working at a popular Atlanta wine bar, she considered opening one of her own, but she wanted to learn as much as possible before making a move. In 2012, Bethea finally opened Purple Corkscrew Tasting Room with her sister, Kellie. At first, it wasn't the booming business they envisioned.

“房租是负担得起的,但它是在一个bad location and had minimal parking," she says. "That taught us the importance of location, location, location!" After a few bumps, Bethea (whose sister went on to do other things) relocated in late 2013 to Avondale Estates, east of Decatur, Georgia, and expanded the business to include a retail store.

Purple Corkscrew features a handpicked selection of small vineyard, boutique wines, and the cozy tasting room feels like you're lounging in Bethea's home while enjoying a glass of your favorite wine.

"It's not about just buying a bottle, or flight of wine; it is about providing our guests with impeccable customer service and an experience that leaves them wanting to return again and again," she says.

Growing a wine business wasn't Bethea's biggest challenge—it was being a Black woman in the wine world. "I can't tell you how many times I've been overlooked at trade shows, mistaken for an uninformed customer, or a server at my own shop," she says. "I was not taken seriously by winemakers, suppliers, and importers."

她回想起被拒绝高度分配的葡萄酒，因为一些分销商认为，尽管她多样化的客户，但黑人零售商vwin德赢ac米兰仍无法出售他们的品牌。为了安静的怀疑论者，Bethea获得了几项认证，广泛地向葡萄酒区旅行，并将她的时间分开在亚特兰大和华盛顿州，在那里她参加了尤文图 德赢一项葡萄栽培和植物学计划。vwin德赢ac米兰

贝特亚自豪地说：“我还聚集了一群令人惊叹的知识渊博的女性，这些员工恰好是黑人。”她和她的团队每周都会与酿酒师会面，并做大约75种口味，vwin德赢ac米兰以便选择瓶子进入商店。紫色开瓶器携带来自世界上几乎每个葡萄酒地区的350多个标签，以及各种黑色拥有的标签。vwin德赢ac米兰最昂贵的选择是Billecart-Salmon香槟和1965年的1965年Lafite Rothschild。

Like many businesses during the pandemic, Bethea had to pivot to cashless, credit card-only curbside pickup, and virtual Zoom tastings. She's excited to finally be back open for in-store purchases and reservation-only tastings, including a Meet the Winemaker series and an upcoming caviar and champagne event. Purple Corkscrew also offers a Sommelier at Home service. "We provide an educational experience facilitated by one of our staff members who are all certified. Together, we pick out the wines with the customer, create food pairings, and provide the proper stemware," she says.

After nine years in business, Bethea is excited to be part of Atlanta's expanding and inclusive wine scene along with Black, women-owned 3 Parks Wine Shop and Corks and Cuvee in Conyers, Georgia.

Bethea说：“我们努力使葡萄酒更容vwin德赢ac米兰易获得，并为客户提出问题的空间。”“紫色开瓶器是在闲暇时购物和饮的一站式目的地。”

So, after all these years, does she prefer a red or white wine? "The wine I love most is the wine that is in my glass at the moment I am drinking it," laughs Bethea. Spoken like a true oenophile.

Purple Corkscrew Wine Shop and Tasting Room is located at 32 N. Avondale Road, Suite A, Avondale Estates, Georgia. (678) 515-8232.