Camino Wine Merchant will open Aug. 13 in The Shops at 1622 E. North St., continuing the retail renaissance of Greenville’s historic Overbrook neighborhood.
The wine shop and casual wine bar, located across the street from Fork and Plough, is a dream realized for sommelier Liz Dowty Mitchell. She moved to Greenville last year with her husband John and their two young sons from New Orleans. Liz and John have decades of food and beverage experience from a city known for an illustrious dining scene.
John found a home with Table 301 Hospitality as its wine director, but Liz had something else in mind. She is an advanced sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers, a Certified Wine Educator and a Spanish wine scholar. This makes her one of the most designated wine professionals in the state, and the desire to procure, pour and share her knowledge was irresistible.
“I think part of my attraction to wine is that there’s always something new to learn,” she said. “Though I am classically trained, and have worked in the traditional wine market for 25 years, I really enjoy drinking natural wines, which tend to be made without any sort of intervention. What they offer, when made correctly, is a unique insight into the winemaker and where the wines are from.”
Behind the Camino name
The shop’s name references the pilgrimage of Camino de Santiago, a journey made by foot to Galicia in northwest Spain. Liz said it begins in France and winds its way through the Spanish countryside, including some of the area’s most famous wine producing regions. Historically, pilgrims were offered wine to refill their jugs along the way.
“Camino is symbolic of my journey through wine,” she said. “When you walk through the door next week, I hope Camino will be a place to drink wine, maybe buy something new, and a chance to share my knowledge and passion, too. I think there will be something for everyone if you want to stay 10 minutes in the afternoon or a couple hours at night.”
The entrance takes you through the wine merchant portion of the business and into a bar and learning area. The comfortable and well-appointed store is awash in a palette of metallics and dark neutrals. The aesthetic is European leaning, with some foodstuffs and small gifts and lots and lots of bottles to peruse. Liz said the shop is meant to be a hands-on experience. There is a heavy emphasis on cheese, charcuterie and wine-friendly bar snacks. Twenty rotating wines by the glass will also be available.
A calendar of tastings and classes will be offered, and space provided for those studying to become sommeliers or extend their knowledge. She also imagines Camino as a third place for the neighborhood or an easy, quick stop to purchase wine for book clubs, dinner parties and the like.
Liz said she always wanted to open Camino in a neighborhood and was drawn to Overbrook for its friendliness and residential energy.
“It’s important for me to develop a community, and that’s done in a neighborhood. On just a few blocks there are restaurants and coffee shops and like-minded folks offering high-quality goods and services,” she said. ” And parking. We have lots of parking. I wanted to make getting here and shopping at Camino as easy as possible because drinking wine, above all else, should be fun.”
As a wine purveyor, Camino will be open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., with extended hours for the wine bar, which opens at 4 p.m. More information can be found at instagram.com/CaminoWineMerchant.
Dining and Cooking