Nelson's Neighborhood

Only TWO Sippin' Saturdays remain in 2013 at Irvin~House Vineyards With only two Sippin' Saturdays remaining in 2013, Irvin~House Vineyards encourages everyone to come out and enjoy them before the vineyard closes in January for their annual cleaning.  December 21 ~ Enjoy a local a fiddler who will be playing Christmas carols and food by Cilantro Food Truck   December 28 ~ Music by The Lowhills and food by Cilantro A little bit about Sippin' Saturday... Every Saturday from 12:00 - 4:00 p.m, spring through the end of the year, the winery will serve up a different local food vendor and musical group to entertain locals and visitors. There is no admission fee but patrons are encouraged to bring their cash and credit for a wide variety of libations and food options. The food vendor begins at 12:00 p.m. and the music goes from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.  Bring your lawn chairs & blankets to picnic under the oaks and relish in the Lowcountry beauty. The famous Irvin~Hous

Bloody Mary Basket  All of the excitement - and stress - of the holidays are officially upon us. This time of year many are scurrying about, thinking of ways to entertain family and friends while getting all the holiday shopping finished. Mark off those "hard-to-buy-for" friends and family members on your Christmas list by escaping to Irvin-House Vineyards for t w o Holiday Open Houses t o be held on Saturday, December 7 and Saturday, December 14 from 12:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. These two events will get you in the holiday spirit and the best part...you get to sip and shop locally and purchase gifts for your friends and family they will truly want. With each festive event, guests can enjoy live music from the De Gullah Singers, a complimentary glass of homemade hot, spiced wine (for those over 21 years of age), the delicious tastes of the Stono Café and plenty of shopping options provided by local vendors. Bring the whole family or make a trip out alone to enjoy the so

Thanksgiving is a holiday where people come together to give thanks and celebrate, but often the stress that comes with preparing the Thanksgiving meal can be overwhelming. Send that stress packing and enjoy a relaxing holiday with Cru Catering’s Thanksgiving Dinner Pick Up Menu. The full menu is $35.00 per person plus tax. Orders are a four person minimum and must be placed by noon on Saturday, November 23. All orders can be placed by calling (843) 534-2433 or emailing Aileen Mancini at Aileen@crucatering.com . Delivery and a la carte options are available. It’s as easy as placing an order, picking it up the day before Thanksgiving and heating the dishes when you’re ready to eat. Heating instructions will be included providing you a fool-proof, delicious meal without the hassle. Cru Catering’s Thanksgiving dinner will include: Oven Roasted or Applewood Smoked Turkey (dark and light meat), Southern Cornbread Stuffing with Country Ham, Homemade Giblet Gravy, Port Wine Cranberry Sauc

Warm up in the crisp air at Charleston’s only winery as Sippin’ Saturdays continue through the end of 2013. Every Saturday from 12:00 - 4:00 p.m, the winery will serve up a different local food vendor and musical group to entertain locals and visitors alike. There is no admission fee but patrons are encouraged to bring their cash or credit for a wide variety of libations, food options, tastings and local gifts.  Bring your lawn chairs & blankets to relax under the oaks and relish in the Lowcountry beauty. The famous Irvin~House Vineyards Wine-a-Ritas will be served on the patio and Irvin~House Vineyards wine may be purchased by the glass or bottle and enjoyed outside. Tastings in the Firefly Vodka distillery and Irvin~House Vineyard winery are only $6.00 to taste 6 of 24 flavors of Firefly Spirits and $5.00 to taste 5 wines. Patrons will receive complimentary glasses during both tastings. Pets are allowed but must be leashed, and no coolers please. The vineyard will be c

Going for a touchdown! Two local tourist destinations, Irvin~House Vineyards and Firefly Distillery are in the running for the exposure of a lifetime as they have been chosen for round two of the Intuit Small Business Big Game Contest. The reward: a national commercial to air during the third quarter of the the biggest football game of the year!  Now that voting has been closed to the public, Intuit will pick the top 20 companies, using their number of votes, financial stability, creativity and how they represent the Intuit brand. Four finalists will be announced in November and each will receive a professionally produced national commercial. Voters will then choose their favorite business and the grand prize winner will be announced in December. Intuit will provide the budget to produce the ad. Intuit is the maker of QuickBooks and other business products. Firefly Distillery and Irvin~House Vineyards teamed up with local producer Ryan Nelson of Nelwater Cons

Raise a glass to celebrate the 11th Annual Blessing of the Vines Festival on Saturday, November 9, 2013 from 12 p.m. until 5 p.m, located at 6775 Bears Bluff Road on Wadmalaw Island. The public will get their chance to witness the blessing of muscadine grapevines by Father Greg Snyder, enjoy live music by The Jefferson Coker Band, food and drink all while admiring the charming setting of Irvin~House Vineyards. The event is open to the public, admission is $10.00 per car and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Frierson Elementary After School Program and The Center for Women . Patrons can enjoy the annual sugar cane crushing; and new this year, a shrimp and grits cook off by local Johns Island chefs from local restaurants including Fat Hen, Rosebank Cafe, Stono Cafe, Seanachi's, and Tomato Shed Cafe. Tickets for the shrimp and grits cook off can be purchased for $5.00 at the event and all proceeds will be donated to the Frierson Elementary After School Program an

His partying days are over and now it’s time for the real fun! Steve Carroll, former owner of some of Charleston’s most popular bars and musical venues -- including the Radio Room, The Warehouse, Band Wagon and Red’s Ice House at Bohicket Marina -- is diving into a new chapter in his food and beverage career with the opening of his first family friendly restaurant, Water Dog Grill, at 1035 Johnnie Dodds Boulevard in Mount Pleasant. This spacious sports bar and grill boasts a large outdoor space, more than 20 HD televisions, 24 beers on tap, two stages and a full menu.  Carroll, now a husband and father of two, is a Mount Pleasant native who has grown up in the Charleston food and beverage industry. From his first days as a bartender at the Windjammer to his well-known ownership of the hottest venues in town to his decade long transformation of Red’s Icehouse which ended in April 2013, he has truly molded the music and bar scene of the Lowcountry. While working at Red

Not a football fan and want to get away from it all? Then head out to the country as Sippin’ Saturdays at Irvin~House Vineyards continues through the fall. Every Saturday from 12:00 - 4:00 p.m, the winery will serve up a different local food vendor and musical group to entertain locals and visitors. There is no admission fee but patrons are encouraged to bring their cash and credit for a wide variety of libations and food options. Bring your lawn chairs & blankets to picnic under the oaks and relish in the Lowcountry beauty. The famous Irvin~House Vineyards Wine-a-Ritas will be served on the patio and Irvin~House Vineyards wine may be purchased by the glass or bottle and enjoyed outside. Tastings in the Firefly Vodka distillery and Irvin~House Vineyard winery are only $6.00 to taste 6 of 24 flavors of Firefly Spirits and $5.00 to taste 5 wines. Patrons will receive complimentary glasses during both tastings. Pets are allowed but must be leashed, and no coolers please.

Love burgers? Think you have what it takes to build a burger that would have others asking to see it on a menu? Then enter the Big Billy’s Burger Joint “Build a Burger” Contest for your chance to win $250 and the addition of your unique burger creation to the Big Billy’s Burger Joint menu specials.  Building your own burger is easy and fun! Simply visit Big Billy’s at 5070 International Boulevard in North Charleston, ask your server for an entry form, create and taste your best burger and visit the Facebook page for the weekly winners and updates.  But it’s not limited to beef burgers, you can build your burger by choosing turkey, black bean or chicken as well. A full list of toppings, cheese and condiments are available at www.bigbillysburgerjoint.com  Contestants can enter as often as they’d like. One weekly winner will be chosen every Friday and have their burger featured in the restaurant and on Facebook. The first weekly winner was chosen on Friday, August 2, 2013. A wi

Calling all kids! It’s your chance to get stomping. Spots are still available for the Children’s Stomp at Irvin~House Vineyards’ 10th Annual Grape Stomping Festival happening Saturday, August 24 from 12:00 p.m. until 5 p.m. Similar to the Adult Stomp, which will be held in heats, the Children’s Stomp will have two children, between the ages of 6 -12 years old, stomping grapes during an allotted time period. The catcher, or person who will catch all the grape juice that will be measured, can be of any age. The team to stomp the most juice will win prizes. To sign up your 6-12 year old team, call 559-6867 or email Fran Collins at  info@charlestonwine.com .  Admission is only $10.00 per car and a Portion of the Proceeds Will be Donated to local nonprofit,  Lowcountry Local First  and Frierson Elementary After School Program.  The public is invited to join in the yearly harvest and stomping of the grapes at  Charleston's only winery, Irvin~House Vineyards, located at

Celebrating a decade of purple feet, Lucy look-a-likes and a stomping good time, Irvin~House Vineyards invites the public to join in the yearly harvest and stomping of the grapes at the 10th Annual Grape Stomping Festival on Saturday, August 24 from 12:00 p.m. until 5 p.m. Admission is only $10.00 per car. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Frierson Elementary School and Lowcountry Local First .  Visitors are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or a blanket to picnic on the expansive lawn, but no coolers please .  Along with live music from Bret Mosley and Guilt Ridden Troubadour, local craft vendors and food trucks will be on site. Kids will be entertained with a jump castle, face painting, and hula hoops for the little stompers. Food vendors include Farm on Fire, Home Team BBQ, Lowcountry Creole, Stono Cafe, Tomato Shed Cafe, Dulce Desserts and King of Pops.  Tastings in the Firefly Vodka distillery and Irvin~House Vineyard winery are only $6.00 t

Raise a glass at Charleston’s only winery as Sippin’ Saturdays continue through the summer. Every Saturday from 12:00 - 4:00 p.m, the winery will serve up a different local food vendor and musical group to entertain locals and visitors. There is no admission fee but patrons are encouraged to bring their cash and credit for a wide variety of libations and food options.  Bring your lawn chairs & blankets to picnic under the oaks and relish in the Lowcountry beauty. The famous Irvin~House Vineyards Wine-a-Ritas will be served on the patio and Irvin~House Vineyards wine may be purchased by the glass or bottle and enjoyed outside. Tastings in the Firefly Vodka distillery and Irvin~House Vineyard winery are only $6.00 to taste 6 of 24 flavors of Firefly Spirits and $5.00 to taste 5 wines. Patrons will receive complimentary glasses during both tastings. Pets are allowed but must be leashed, and no coolers please.  The Sippin’ Saturday Schedule:  July 20 - Stono Cafe a

Daisy's Place Retriever Rescue is about to launch their 2 nd   FOOD FRENZY ONLINE AUCTION to benefit the loving Daisy Dogs.  All proceeds from the Auction will go DIRECTLY to help Daisy's Place pay down their ever growing vetting bills. As you can imagine, grey muzzles and those who need rescue have considerable health matters, whether it’s routine flea/heartworm medication or more serious procedures.  There are many ways to help the Daisy Dogs, but we sure think this is one of the best! Supporting the FOOD FRENZY is easy! You can Eat, Cook or Simply Spread the Word! It doesn't take much to help continue saving these precious grey muzzles.  How to Participate: 1- Cook/Bake your favorite dish, dessert or whatever tickles your fancy to contribute to the auction. You do NOT Have to be local- your item just has to be able to ship if you're not in Charleston. If you would like to contribute an item email NatalieNGrantham@gmail.com by July 19 th for furthe

Spending the day visiting three of the Lowcountry’s top tourist attractions on Wadmalaw Island - Firefly Distillery, Irvin~House Vineyards and The Charleston Tea Plantation -  just got easier thanks to a new all-inclusive excursion package. Every Tuesday and Thursday beginning April 30, 2013, visitors can enjoy “Island Sip and See”, a stress-free ride out to Wadmalaw via the Lowcountry Loop Trolley with the opportunity to spend time at all three destinations for an excursion on the island they will never forget.  Included in “Island Sip and See” excursion package is: a factory and trolley tour at America’s only working tea garden, The Charleston Tea Plantation, as well as all the hot or iced tea you can want and a catered lunch by Johns Island’s hidden gem, The Stono Café. Guests will then explore beautiful Irvin~House Vineyards and enjoy a tasting of all five of their wine varietals with a complimentary souvenir wine glass. Lastly, guests will enjoy true southern spirits at t