BY ELIZABETH HARPER



Whether you’re a wine aficionado or an amateur, nothing compares to an expertly recommended vintage wine paired with rich, aged-to-perfection artisanal cheeses and charcuterie. Here are some of our favorites nestled in the Lowcountry.

     Walk through the doors of Bin 152, and you’re transported from a storefront tucked among the antique shops of lower King Street to a rustic, Parisian wine and cheese bar. With 30 wines by the glass and more than 100 by the bottle, Bin 152 offers some of the best New and Old World wines in Charleston. Cleanse your palate with a variety of 35 cheeses and charcuterie served with seemingly endless fresh-baked bread. Fancy the chair you’re sitting on or the art on the walls? No problem, Bin 152 doubles as an antique shop, and everything must go.

     Just off the peninsula, Avondale Wine and Cheese, awarded Best Local Cheese Shop, Best Local Wine Store and Best Local Retail Wine Selection by the Charleston City Paper three years running, offers a wide selection of specialty wines and artisanal cheeses. Stop by anytime, and you’ll be treated like part of the family. Our favorite: wine and cheese tastings Monday through Thursday.

     Brad Ball, proprietor of Social Restaurant & Wine Bar, is among an elite group of only four advanced sommeliers residing in Charleston. A spin on the traditional wine and cheese bar and touted as one of the best happy hours downtown, Social offers a full menu from Executive Chef Jesse Sutton complete with wine recommendations for each dish. Seared sea scallops with rutabaga gratin, Brussels sprouts and apple Dijonnaise paired with a dry Riesling? Yes, please!

     Charleston transplants Michael and Patricia Cohen and Trudi Wagner stumbled upon a quaint Queen Street shop while on a quiet bike ride South of Broad. With the hope of providing only the best in wine and cheese to their new neighbors, the trio opened goat. sheep. cow., counterpart to their previous venture, The Wine Concierge. The otherwise quiet façade draws you in with picturesque flower boxes filled with overflowing colorful blooms, delicate aromas and mouthwatering displays of expertly sourced cheeses, charcuterie and specialty wines. Call ahead, and the team at goat. sheep. cow. will create a cheese and charcuterie platter easily mistaken for a work of art.