Mount Pleasant favorite Ardoa Wine Bar, a neighborhood fixture for 13 years, has a new owner.
Wine enthusiast Roger Cobb takes the helm, restaurant broker Mike Santos of The Commonwealth Company told What Now Charleston.
Cobb is no stranger to the restaurant industry. He has extensive wine knowledge, his sister runs several restaurants, and his partner, Jenna, is a charcuterie expert.
“I worked in Silicon Valley for about 20 years and spent a lot of time in wine country–Paso Robles, Russian River Valley, Napa. I also have a home in Mexico. We’ve been down to three different vineyard areas there and recently went to Valle de Guadalupe,” Cobb told What Now Charleston.
He continued, “Clement [Batut] from Paris, France, who previously owned Ardoa, he’s our neighbor, he’s our very good friend, and someone we’ve known and trusted for a long time. It was a very natural fit for him to hand off the business to us as we’re very passionate about it.”
Cobb said he plans to maintain Batut’s popular concept while adding his own touch, starting with retail sales and wine club subscriptions.
“We’ve already started to do a lot of retail sales. We now sell dried flower bouquets and gift cards. We have a bunch of Christmas ornaments that are handmade by us that we’re selling,” he said.
Cobb continued, “We’ve also got a large community now of people who are coming here every day, ordering wine from us. We got some very eclectic and different imported wines from around the world. They’re small-batch global wines from South America, South Africa, and Mexico.”
They’ve been pouring the imported wines into a self-service machine and rotating selections regularly, a new feature setting Ardoa apart from other spots around town.
“We’ve put in Mexican sparkling champagne, a Mexican cabernet, and several different reds from South America—a bunch of wines people have not seen or heard of. They love the fact we have these self-service machines, where they can do a taste, a half glass, or a full glass of our 24 wines we’re currently offering,” he said.
On the menu, they’ve added a few new items while keeping charcuterie and tapas classics. Ardoa has also added nonalcoholic wine and beer to its offerings.
“We are starting to import red wine cheddar from Ireland. We are bringing in lots of compound butters, including an Italian-herb and maple cinnamon–putting that out with French baguettes. We’ve also added several different desserts including espresso and ice cream affogatos, utilizing our neighbor’s ice cream store,” Cobb said.
The interior is getting a slight revamp, with antique chairs and décor, and plans to add a fireplace.
“We’re trying to make the place livelier, warmer and more inviting than it already was–which was amazing to begin with–but it’s just getting better by the day,” he said.
Incoming deals include half-off charcuterie on Tuesdays, half-off cheese on Wednesdays, and half-off wine on Thursdays. For updates, visit the Ardoa Wine Bar website and follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
