Bin 152 aims to create a community of art, wine and cheese lovers

Bin 152, Charleston's newest wine bar, is a chic addition at 152 King St. It has been gathering a crowd and collecting regulars since it opened in November.

The business is owned and operated by Patrick and Fanny Panella, a husband-and-wife team who moved to Charleston from New York City. Patrick, who previously had opened a wine bar in San Francisco, is the wine expert and Fanny handles the food.

Focusing on underappreciated wines, the wine list is extensive. According to Patrick, "I'm not just going with names or reputation. I want to know every single wine intimately and I want them to all be great. It's very important to me that the wine always be fantastic and interesting."

Fanny also sticks with this philosophy when choosing cheeses for the menu. She is French, and therefore has a long history with cheese. She says, "I knew the cheeses that I wanted," adding that she didn't want cheese that you could buy at the local grocery store.

"They are a little out of the ordinary, but if you're French or just well-versed in cheeses, you might know them. I'm trying to integrate local products as well, like the Thomasville Tomme, a cheese from Georgia. Cheese is a part of me."

The Panellas don't skimp on the portions. For $7 you can choose any of the cheeses or charcuterie items, which are served with artisan bread.

The wines vary greatly in price, but there is something for every budget. There are $7 glasses of wine as well as bottles that range from $22 for a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc to a more lavish Torbreg "RunRig" Shiraz for $284.

The space is decorated with antiques that are all for sale. If you like the table that you are sitting at, you can buy it, along with the chairs and most everything that you see in the space.

Bin 152 also functions as a gallery space, with a rotating artist roster that changes out once every couple of months. Much like their method of choosing food and wine, they choose art based on things that they like and artists that they meet at the bar.

They set out to create a space that felt like "our house, our living room. We wanted to have guests every night and we wanted the space to represent us. Everything about this business is a reflection of who we are. We don't care about any kind of scene. You can come in here with formal attire or a T-shirt and it just doesn't matter. We are determined to have a friendly and unpretentious business and we want people to feel at home while they are here. It's a community that we are trying to create."