A New Vintage

For the last seven years, Avondale Wine & Cheese has been much more than just a wine and cheese shop. It has been a meeting place for this dynamic community.
The shop’s original owner, Manoli Davani, was well-known in Avondale. Fellow shop owners and patrons alike would often just pop in to say “hello” and then find that hour of their day had just disappeared as they sat around laughing and chatting with Davani.
For seven years it was her personality and vast knowledge of wine and cheese that kept this Avondale gem alive through a downturn in the economy and the ever-changing landscape of one of Charleston’s most bustling business districts.
So when news of Davani selling the business was announced it was met with mixed emotions by many of the shop’s regulars. But the new owners have quickly picked up where Davani left off and are working hard to build their own relationships with the surrounding community.
“We picked Avondale because it is the coolest neighborhood in all of Charleston,” says Lewis Dodson, one of the new owners of Avondale Wine & Cheese, along with his girlfriend Jessica Krofta and friend/business partner Kris Kincaid.  “The business district is made up of local businesses for local people and we see that as our intended market.  Plus we love hanging out there so that’s an added bonus.”
According to Dodson, they will work hard to offer everything that Davani was offering in terms of wine. “We will continue to have a great selection of amazing wines from both the old and new world and the great customer service to help you pick the bottle that best fits your needs,” he says. “We will also continue to offer fantastic cheeses and other great gourmet retail items.”
A new craft beer section has been added to the shop as well as locally-made desserts. There are also some noticeable changes to the space, which now has more of a wine bar feel. The space is much more open and includes several tables (constructed out of old wine crates) where patrons can sit and drink wine, beer, or coffee and enjoy create-your-own charcuterie and fine cheese plates accompanied with nuts and spreads.
Avondale Wine & Cheese has also extended its hours to stay open until 9:30 p.m., so diners can have a place to go for dessert after having dinner at one of the many restaurants in the Avondale area. “We hope to be Avondale’s dessert destination, very similar to Kaminsky’s downtown,” says Dodson. “We will feature a dessert counter with house-made and local dessert options ranging from a variety of cheesecakes to pies and cupcakes. In the near future we will be offering espresso, coffee and cappuccino to complement our desserts … but we don’t think there is anything better than red wine and chocolate.”
While this may be the first time any of them have actually owned a wine shop, the new owners are not newbies when it comes to the business. Dodson is co-owner of the Drop-In Deli on Folly Beach while Kincaid owns Locklear’s Beach City Grill also on Folly Beach and Anna Bell’s Restaurant in North Charleston. For years Krofta has worked in the food and beverage industry and is also an amateur baker.
“I have always wanted a wine and cheese shop, however I never thought it was a possibility,” admits Dodson. “This opportunity came to us because we were looking at the property next door (where the three plan to open West Ashley’s first distillery in 2014) and we started talking with Manoli and she decided that we would be a good fit and offered us Avondale Wine & Cheese.”
According to Dodson, they will continue to have wine tastings every Thursday night, starting Nov. 9.