Erin Eisele & James Alford: Cork & Cap Bottle Shop (Aiken, SC)

Husband and wife team Erin Eisele and James Alford created the concept for Cork & Cap Bottle Shop on their first date. It now lives beyond the imagination in a yellow Craftsman house in downtown Aiken, SC, and in the few years it's been opened, has impacted the culinary landscape of the Midlands. James, a wine professional, had worked for distributors, in restaurants crafting wine lists, including Motor Supply Company in Columbia, SC, and as a consultant. Sip by sip, he learned exactly what he'd like to put on the shelves. Erin, a native of Aiken and marketing and local food advocate, understood the region and the way spaces and places like Cork & Cap can make an impact on a community and for the producers they champion. Together they've created a space that is way more than a retail shop: it is a learning experience, an enthusiastic advocate for modern wine making, a community space, and a place -- essentially-- that is much more about the culture of sharing good food and drink around the table than just a bottle of wine. Wine is the creative beginning for Erin and James, and it is taking them delicious places.