David Andersen, owner of Taste the Olive, is joining forces with Candace Hobbs, owner of The Grape & Ale, an Oak Island bottle shop featuring craft beer and boutique wines. The new partnership will allow Andersen to utilize a portion of the space at The Grape & Ale to sell Taste the Olive products and conduct cooking classes.

“We had many customers from the Southport, Oak Island and St. James Plantation areas coming into the store and asking if we would consider opening a second store down that way,” Andersen said.

Andersen said Hobbs has been a longtime customer of Taste the Olive, and they began by asking her if she knew of any available space that might work for them. It happened that the space in her building that was leased to a co-tenant was recently vacated, leaving Hobbs with the opportunity to bring in someone new to share the space.

“Partnering with The Grape & Ale is a great way to get our products into the hands of our customers in that area more easily,” Andersen said.

Anderson said the bottle shop concept melds well with what Taste the Olive offers. While he will sell only a portion of what is available at his Landfall Center store, customers will still find a variety of oils, vinegars, salts, rubs and condiments. Cooking classes and wine pairings will be held at both locations.

A new bar with café seating has just been installed at Taste the Olive, and craft beer and wine will be offered by the bottle and the glass within the next couple of weeks.

Andersen said he plans to hold two or three free wine tastings each week and will soon begin a wine club and wine education classes. He currently hosts cooking classes on Monday evenings. As the holidays approach be on the lookout for wine and appetizer parings that will offer ideas for easy holiday entertaining.

Taste the Olive will open Sept. 1 at The Grape & Ale, 8521 E. Oak Island Drive in Southport. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Taste the Olive in Wilmington is located at 1319 Military Cuttoff Road, Unit BB in the Landfall Shopping Center. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, with cooking classes held at 6:30 Monday evenings. Hours will extend to 10 p.m. once the bar opens. Check Taste the Olive's Facebook page for updates and class schedules.

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