The event, sponsored last night by the Kiawah Island Arts Council, grabbed the eyes, ears, and palettes of more than 120 guests who listened to Edward talk about how he tried to express the character of each wine through music.

A superb quartet—comprising four members of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, led by concertmaster Yuriy Becker—played the pieces as everyone sipped wine and tasted cheeses that Manoli Davani had carefully selected from her Avondale Wine and Cheese shop. Manoli chose a Morbier to accompany the Clos de Braque Bordeaux, a Blue del Moncenisio to complement the Broadbent Madeira Reserve, and a Manchego to match the Tempranillo.

(Did you know that Morbier, with its characteristic line of dark, vegetable ash down the middle, comes from two “harvests” of the cheese: “evening” milk on one side of the ash, and “morning” milk on the other?)

Edward is an Associate Professor of Music at the College of Charleston whose works exhibit an elegant, refreshing combination of classical and modern. His pieces certainly enliven the experience of tasting wine. The third movement in particular—Tempranillo—included lots of fun qualities and unexpected turns, as you will see near the end of the video above.

One lady I spoke with stated adamantly that the event was “genius” and that Edward should take it to wine and music lovers around the country who would surely enjoy this innovative venue as much as we did. And I’m hoping he has some more movements in mind—maybe Burgundy, Shiraz, and Châteauneuf du Pape—so that we get an opportunity to do this again SOON. •

Well, that’s just part of what makes this not your ordinary wine tasting. Or your traditional chamber concert. It’s even better — a Charleston composer’s love of wine expressed musically and interactively. Taste three wines, talk about them, and listen to 3 movements composed specifically for each wine while enjoying superbly paired cheeses from Avondale Wine and Cheese. (What else do you need?)

The idea, initially conceived for Piccolo Spoleto, comes from Dr. Edward Hart, Associate Professor of Music at the College of Charleston, who will host the event at Kiawah on Thursday, Feb 18 at 5:00 PM.

The venue is appropriately titled, Amori Vini — “for the love of wine.” As Edward says, “To my knowledge, this is the only interactive string quartet/wine tasting in existence. Each of the three movements represents a distinct wine and will be preceded by an on-stage and off-stage wine tasting by the musicians and the audience. During the three mini-tastings, everyone will be asked to reflect upon the taste and types of wine. It will be an open, non-scripted dialogue.”

The music will be performed by four of Charleston’s finest musicians from the Charleston Symphony Orchestra: concertmaster Yuriy Bekker, violinist Alan Molina, violist Jan-Marie Joyce, and cellist Natalia Khoma. The movements, named for the wines they reflect, are Bordeaux, Madeira, and Tempranillo.

Edward explains: “I’ve written music that expresses my personal opinion of and experience with these wines. For example, the Madeira movement is slow, sweet, and melodic representing not only the taste of the wine but a recollection of the circumstances around which I have enjoyed this drink.” What does he expect? “I hope the audience will be intrigued and use their imagination, without  being too distracted from the music” — a small likelihood considering the caliber of the musicians.

To reserve your tickets (highly recommended), call Stephanie at the Kiawah Town Hall. Dress will be semi-formal-casual.