Deep Water Vineyard

For When You Need to ‘Wine-Down’ in Wide Open Spaces By Holly Fisher

After walking all over downtown Charleston, playing in the ocean, or touring museums and attractions, it’s time to unwind with a glass of wine. Just on the outskirts of Charleston is Wadmalaw Island, a lush landscape of mossed-covered oak trees and unspoiled vistas. You won’t find hotels, shopping centers or grocery stores, but you will find Deep Water Vineyard, the only domestic winery in Charleston. The vineyard is both rural and relaxing. A place to take a deep breath, sip a glass of local wine, and experience vacation as it should be. Deep Water Vineyard wine is made from muscadine grapes – one of the only truly native grapes to the United States. Owners Andrea and Jesse Freiwald – who purchased the vineyard in 2015 – have continued to expand upon the vineyard’s five signature wines, including a partnership with a California grower to get access to grapes that won’t grow here in the South. They now offer 20 wine varieties, including seasonal favorites like a strawberry wine and a jalapeño wine. Over the last couple of years, Deep Water expanded its offerings from wine, adding mead to its menu. It’s all thanks to Andrea’s newfound beekeeping hobby and a nationwide resurgence of mead making. Mead – part of the wine family – is fermented honey water. It’s arguably the world’s oldest fermented beverage, Andrea says. What started as an experiment during the COVID pandemic, “spiraled, thankfully, out of control,” Andrea says. “We have three meads on tap at all times. People really love it and can’t get enough of it.” Some of Deep Water’s many mead varieties are similar to beers and seltzers, ranging from tropical and light, like an IPA; to coffee flavored and dark, like a stout. They’ve also been infusing the mead with all sorts of fun flavors, Andrea says, including bourbon barrels from local Firefly Distillery for a mead that’s smokey and sweet. To celebrate the success of their Bears Bluff Meadery, Deep Water is hosting its first Mead-ival Festival in May. They’ll debut three new bottled meads while serving up favorite drafts plus renaissance-themed food, vendors and activities. Mead isn’t the only thing that’s new at Deep Water. Andrea says they used the last two years to tackle some remodeling and renovations projects. During COVID, they opened an outdoor wine tasting area. Visitors loved it, so they’re adding a permanent outdoor bar. “The silver lining of COVID was we had to rethink

DEEP WATER VINEYARD 6775 Bears Bluff Road • Wadmalaw Island 843-559-6867 • deepwatervineyard.com

HOURS

Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

UPCOMING EVENTS Weekend Wine-Down

Noon to 4 p.m. each Saturday. Food truck, music and wine tastings. Pets and children welcome.

Mead-ival Festival

May 21 “renaissance of mead” event featuring Bears Bluff Meadery beverages, food, vendors and activities.

our business,” Andrea says. “We started to think outside the box, and things that were hassles ended up being great things.” Now, the team at Deep Water Vineyard is ready to welcome visitors for the spring and summer season. Enjoy a laid-back wine tasting during the week or come out on Saturdays for the weekly Wine-Down with a food truck, wine tastings and live music. The overall vineyard vibe is relaxing and family friendly (dogs welcome too!). “We’re a respite in the county,” Andrea says. “It’s a pretty special place when you pass that bridge and realize there are no grocery stores or gas stations and it’s all rural.”