Bluffton live music venue, once a go-to spot in Old Town, reopens in a new location
A popular live music venue that moved out of Old Town Bluffton last summer when its lease was not renewed has reopened in a new location and with a cheeky new name.
UnCorked Wine, Bar, Food, and Music opened its doors June 6 in Moss Creek Village on the Bluffton side of the Hilton Head bridges. The wine bar previously known as Corks had been in the Bluffton Promenade since 2007.
Owners Neil Ritter and his wife, Lorrie, who bought Corks in 2018, almost decided to call it quits when the original location closed.
“Honestly, we were gonna shut down the place totally and just say, ‘Let’s move on with our lives,’” Neil Ritter told The Island Packet at the time. “And then we thought about the employees that we have and all the musicians that we support all year, and we said, ‘We can’t do it. We can’t walk away.’”
Their perseverance was rewarded on opening night for UnCorked. With no advertising other than a Facebook post, about 180 people showed up.
“It was pretty mobbed,” Ritter said.
UnCorked has expanded its menu that includes salads, soups, tapas, sandwiches and sliders, pierogies, and flatbread pizzas, and Ritter said prices did not change with the relocation. The kitchen is open until 11:30 p.m. on weekends and 11 p.m. during the week.
Still, live music is the focus, Ritter said.
“We bring in bands from all over the country,” he said. “We’re trying to expand the music scene here in Hilton Head, Bluffton and Beaufort County, and generally, it’s been pretty successful.”
The stage at UnCorked is larger than the one at the previous location, and the Ritters invested in a permanently installed sound system.
“So the bands don’t have to bring any sound equipment except their instruments, pretty much,” Ritter said.
That gives the business a measure of control over the sound and sound quality. “You’re not coming in here and getting blasted out,” Ritter said.
UnCorked has live music Tuesday through Saturday nights; it’s closed Sunday and Monday. In general, a solo or duo performs on weeknights and larger bands on weekends.
Find out who’s playing on any given night by following UnCorked on Facebook, where the Ritters post video clips and share more information about the bands scheduled.
Aside from the bands, returning customers may recognize some faces from the previous location. The Ritters have rehired their former bartenders and added three more.
Moss Creek Village is home to several popular restaurants, including Olive and Fig Mediterranean Kitchen, HogsHead Kitchen and Wine Bar and the new Mama G’s Pizza Bistro and Bar.
At a glance
What: UnCorked Wine, Bar, Food, and Music
Where: 1533 Fording Island Road, Suite 296, Hilton Head (on the Bluffton side of the bridges)
Hours: 4 p.m. to midnight Tuesday through Saturday; kitchen open until 11:30 on weekends and 11 on weekdays
How much: No cover Tuesday through Thursday
Phone: 843-815-5168
Facebook: facebook.com/CorksBluffton
This story was originally published June 28, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
