Elaine Honig’s entrepreneurial spirit was sparked long before founding Wine, Women & Shoes. As a way to put herself through college during the early-80s at Tufts University, the native Oklahoman used creative financing to buy and renovate an old building in Boston, in which she rented out apartments to fellow students.

This first foray into real estate development led her to San Francisco, where she bought several other properties, and landed in the wine business. Starting with a shoe box and a Subaru, Elaine helped grow Honig Vineyard & Winery into the nationally-recognized brand it is today.

The winery grew, and Elaine’s focus moved from sales to marketing; in 1997, she became Honig’s Creative Director, overseeing all aspects of the brand. As a twist on the traditional wine tasting and in an effort to reach female consumers, she came up with the idea of pairing wine and shoes. In January 2008, after 21 years, Elaine left Honig to focus her full-time efforts on the national WW&S program.

Elaine is known for her tireless energy and dedication to work; she can often be found at the gym, balancing her laptop on an exercise bike. She is an environmental activist who works to protect and preserve the Napa Valley and serves as the President of the Board of the Land Trust of Napa County. Additionally, she sits on the Board of Advocates for Planned Parenthood Shasta Diablo, one of Wine, Women and Shoes’ charity partners. Elaine lives in San Francisco with her husband, Rob Erlichman, and their dog-child, Henri.