Wine Circle: Sip, Swirl, Socialize

If you know anything about wine, you understand that flavor, aroma, appearance, and mouthfeel are all influenced by terroir: the unique combination of environmental factors such as soil, climate, and terrain that gives a vineyard its distinctive character. In much the same way, people are influenced by where they put down roots.

After moving to Charleston in 2022, Michigan native Kevin Poniatowski quickly fell in love with the city but found himself missing the sense of community that truly makes a place feel like home. The answer, as it turned out, was waiting at the bottom of a wine glass.

An avid wine enthusiast, Poniatowski had been an active member of a wine Meetup group in Michigan, where evenings spent sharing bottles often grew into lasting friendships. When he discovered that Charleston's only similar group had gone dormant during the pandemic, he decided to start one of his own.

Starting a group from scratch meant taking a leap of faith. “I had no idea if anyone would show up at all, so I reached out to my friends in a local craft beer group and begged them to please come to my first Grapes & Gusto wine event so it wouldn’t feel like a huge failure,” Poniatowski laughs, recalling.

It was anything but that. More than 50 people signed up to join the group, and more than half were strangers. Over the following months, word spread, members began inviting friends, and the community steadily grew. Since that first gathering in March 2023, membership has soared to more than 1,200.

"It’s mind-boggling to me," Poniatowski says. "When I hit 500, I thought, ‘There's no way it gets any bigger than this.’ And yet every event brought someone new. That’s what keeps it exciting—you never know who’s going to show up."

For the Michigan transplant, the people who show up—and keep coming back—have become the network of friends that transformed Charleston into home.

"I’ve made friends through Grapes & Gusto who have become my family, basically," says Poniatowski, a Principal Security Instructor for Command & Control Security. "We celebrate birthdays and spend holidays together. It’s become my greatest social outlet, and that’s really what has made Charleston feel like home."

He’s not the only one who enjoyed a similar life shift. Co-organizer Kera Day originally joined the group for the very same reason: “I had recently moved to the area, and I enjoy wine, so I was looking for a way to meet people with a shared interest,” says Day, a Senior Client Manager for World Insurance Associates. “I quickly started making friends and realized I had found my tribe.”

Poniatowski says watching those connections form has become the most rewarding part of building the group.

"There have been so many people who come to an event and just really hit it off," he says. "That’s what warms my heart the most about Grapes & Gusto—seeing people find their own circle of friends and build such deep relationships. I think it’s incredible that they met because of this group."

Free to join and welcoming everyone from curious wine beginners to sommeliers, Grapes & Gusto meets twice a month on Tuesdays at wine bars and restaurants throughout Charleston. They rotate through a regular list of places that include but are not limited to: The Wine Bar, The Wine Cellar, and Charlotte's Wine Bar & Tapas in Mount Pleasant, Uncork, Bin 152, and Wine & Company in Charleston, Somm in John’s Island and Nexton, Stems & Skins and Accent on Wine Whitehall in North Charleston, and Wine & Tapas Bar in Summerville.

In addition to regular tastings, the group has expanded to include specialty pairing events and wine-themed trivia nights. Whatever the venue or agenda for the evening, Poniatowski wants newcomers to feel comfortable walking through the door.

"You'll always find someone to talk to," Poniatowski says. "Just ask anyone what they're drinking or what they like—or don't like—about a glass of wine. It's an easy icebreaker for someone attending for the first time. Ask questions about wine, and you may discover your next favorite varietal. Or you might even make a new friend."

"What makes Grapes & Gusto special is that it's welcoming to everyone, whether you're a seasoned wine enthusiast or just beginning to explore," Day adds. "There's never any pressure to know everything—or even anything—about wine. It's simply a place where people can discover new wines while building lasting friendships and connections."

Whether attendees leave with a new favorite vintage, a fresh appreciation for wine, or a lifelong friend, Grapes & Gusto continues to prove that the best communities—much like the best wines—are cultivated through a shared sense of place and meaningful connections.

For more information, go to: meetup.com/grapes-gusto-charleston-wine-meetup-group/ or follow them @grapesandgusto.