Grown-Up Wine Bar Planned for Upper King

Restaurateur Mike Shuler (Blind Tiger, Midtown, and Trio) wants to open a sophisticated space where wine drinkers can duck out of the Upper King party-party-party scene and enjoy a few glasses with snacks. Located in the former Torch space at 545 King St., Vintage Lounge will open as a haven for oenophiles this fall.

“My wife Kathleen Shuler and I purchased the property a year ago and have been renovating ever since,” says Mike, “Together, we crafted the Vintage wine bar concept as a passion project of sorts — we both love wines, cheeses, and charcuterie and felt there was a void in the market.”

In addition to great wines, snacks, and the promise of fondue (the Shulers were inspired to put it on the menu after a trip to The Bourgeois Pig in New York), Vintage Lounge will also feature Charleston sommelier Nathan Wheeler. For the past four years, Wheeler has been a fixture of Lower King’s Bin 152. He will join the new venture as an investor, general manager, and driving force behind the wine list.

Wheeler envisions Vintage Lounge to be a place to stop in before or after dinner on King Street or a space where friends can gather to share a bottle and small plates.

Sommelier Scott Newman (Charleston Country Club and Grand Bohemian) will be the Vintage Lounge manager. King Street Hospitality business partners Chris Houston and Eric Gussin will play roles in both in operations, as well as promotion and private events.

Culinary director of King Street Hospitality Derek Falta, along with pastry chef Travis Biernack, are creating the menu.

Betsy Berry of B. Berry Interiors is overseeing the design of the space, which will be unrecognizable to those who visited Torch back in the day. Look for Vintage Lounge to come online this fall.

• Torch: Reopening with 'Rock Star Level' Entertainment [ECHS]
• The Bourgeois Pig [Official]
• B. Berry Interiors [Official]