Purple Corkscrew - From Vine to Vision!
In the heart of Avondale Estates, just outside Atlanta’s bustling city limits, there’s a place where wine tells stories, connections are poured generously, and every guest is treated like family. At the center of it all is Steffini Bethea, owner of The Purple Corkscrew Wine Shop & Tasting Room—the oldest Black-owned wine shop in the metro Atlanta area. For more than thirteen years, Bethea has transformed her passion for wine into a purpose-driven business that blends sophistication with soul. A certified wine expert with a globe-spanning palate, she’s built a destination where newcomers and connoisseurs alike can explore, learn, and celebrate the world of wine without intimidation. Her curated selection reflects not just global vineyards, but also her personal journey—each bottle representing a place she’s been, a culture she’s embraced, and a story she’s eager to share. In this conversation with Delivery Rank, Bethea opens up about her path from wine enthusiast to entrepreneur, the lessons she’s learned as a trailblazer in a competitive industry, and how The Purple Corkscrew continues to evolve as both a community gathering space and a testament to the power of passion poured with purpose.
Your wine journey has taken you across the globe. Can you recall a single vineyard experience that fundamentally shifted how you see or serve wine at The Purple Corkscrew?
The most profound shift in my perspective came when I had the opportunity to assist with the harvest at a small, family-owned winery in Echo, Oregon. It was my very first time working a harvest, and it fundamentally changed how I approach wine at The Purple Corkscrew. I realized at that moment that winemaking is an incredible blend—part farming, part chemistry, and entirely 'all love.' I was deeply amazed by the passion, meticulous care, and heart that everyone involved poured into their product. That experience made me want to convey that exact message of dedication and love to every customer, with every bottle we sell and every glass we pour. It reinforced that wine is not just a beverage; it’s a connection to a specific time, place, and family story.
You’ve been a trailblazer in Atlanta as the oldest Black-owned wine shop in the area. What challenges have you faced in an industry historically lacking diversity—and how have you navigated or reshaped those spaces?
Being recognized as the oldest Black-owned wine shop in Atlanta has been an honor, but it certainly came with a period of intense challenge. I would say it took almost five years before I truly felt a modicum of respect within the broader industry. The biggest hurdle was simply overcoming the historical lack of diversity, which often meant I was fighting for basic recognition and equal footing. I navigated this on two parallel fronts. The first was an intense dedication to knowledge—I poured myself into wine studies and certifications to ensure my expertise was undeniable. The second, and perhaps most powerful, was leaning on the relationships with my customers and supportive sales representatives, whose encouragement was vital. Where I may have initially lacked business connections or industry knowledge, I made up for it by offering absolutely impeccable customer service. I learned that customer service goes a long way, building a community of loyal patrons that became the ultimate engine for reshaping and carving out our own space in the wine world.
What’s one bottle on your shelf that holds a particularly personal story—and why do you think customers connect so deeply with wines that carry stories like yours?
While it’s challenging to narrow it down to a single bottle, the entire line of wines from Theopolis Vineyards holds a particularly powerful personal story for me. The wines are made by Theodora Lee, a remarkable Black female winemaker in California, who has a special tie to the Georgia market having attended undergrad here. Her wines are amazing, and I felt a strong compulsion to assist her in getting them into the Georgia market. After a challenging four-year effort to find the right partnership, we finally secured a perfect distributor match. Theopolis Vineyards has made quite a splash as a result, and that story of dedication and perseverance is what makes every glass taste even better. I believe customers connect so deeply with wines that carry stories like this because it transforms the bottle from a simple commodity into a deeply human story of passion, struggle, and shared success. It gives them a connection that goes beyond just the flavor profile.
You've been in business for over 13 years—what has surprised you most about how your clientele has evolved, and how has that shaped your curation process?
The most surprising evolution of our clientele over the last 13 years is how dramatically engaged and knowledgeable they have become. When I started, I had incredibly patient customers, many of whom knew far more about wine than I did. My approach was to always acknowledge what I didn't know and never to hide that. Crucially, I decided to take my customers on the wine learning journey with me. As I grew, they grew alongside me. That initial spirit of shared discovery is what truly shaped our curation process. Today, what surprises me is that I have some incredibly savvy customers. This evolution pushes us to continuously refine our selection, moving beyond the basics to bring in more unique, esoteric, and complex wines. The curation process is now less about teaching fundamentals and more about satisfying the sophisticated palate of a community that’s been part of The Purple Corkscrew's growth story from day one.
Looking forward, what’s your vision for The Purple Corkscrew in the next five years? Any dream collaborations, expansions, or initiatives you’re excited to pursue?
Looking forward, the vision for The Purple Corkscrew in the next five years is one of focused, high-quality growth. While we have exciting expansion plans in the works, for now, we’re focused on an initiative launching in the upcoming new year: significantly deepening our focus on food and wine pairings. We're collaborating with some truly amazing local chefs, and we have a number of unique, sophisticated, but definitely not gimmicky, pairing events coming up next year. This is about enriching the experience of our current clientele and attracting a new audience who wants to understand the delicious alchemy between food and wine. Our goal is to cement The Purple Corkscrew's reputation not just as a shop, but as the premier destination for wine education and culinary discovery in the Atlanta area.
To read more about Purple Corkscrew, please visit https://www.purplecorkscrew.com/