Silver Dew Winery at Bloody Point
Silver Dew Winery pours its wine in a small brick building at the south end of Daufuskie Island: the 1883 oil house of the Bloody Point Lighthouse, where the lighthouse kept its oil, wicks and spare lamp. A small vineyard of scuppernong grapes grows beside it, and the keeper’s house next door is now a museum and gift shop.
Papy Burn’s Silver Dew Wine
Arthur “Papy” Burn bought the lighthouse property in 1926 and lived there for about forty years. In 1953 he began making wine in the old oil house from blackberries, elderberries, scuppernongs and whatever else grew nearby, and called it Silver Dew. Pat Conroy wrote the winery into The Water Is Wide, his book about teaching on Daufuskie. The island’s tourism bureau bills it as South Carolina’s first winery.
Wick Scurry of Calibogue Cruises bought the property in 2015 and restored it, opening the keeper’s house as a museum and gift shop, and the Silver Dew name is back over the oil house door.
Tastings and the Gift Shop
Tastings are poured in the oil house, and you can walk the vineyard while you are there. Bottles are sold in the lighthouse gift shop. Visitors single out a margarita wine and Big Joe’s dry red blend, and most pair the tasting with the museum in the keeper’s house, which has island history and relics inside. Behind the property there is a pond with an eagle’s nest you can watch from the grounds.
Getting to Bloody Point
Bloody Point is at the island’s southern tip, on Beach Road, and you reach it by golf cart from the ferry landings at the other end of the island; our Daufuskie golf cart rentals guide has who rents them, and the Daufuskie Island ferry guide covers getting over. Google lists the winery as closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but hours change with the seasons, so call (843) 342-8687 before you ride down.
The Bloody Point Lighthouse page tells the lighthouse’s story, from its range light to the move inland. For the island’s other stops, see the Daufuskie Island Distillery for rum and vodka, Daufuskie Island restaurants for lunch and dinner, and our Daufuskie Island guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Silver Dew Winery?
At Bloody Point, on Beach Road at the south end of Daufuskie Island, in the old oil house beside the Bloody Point Lighthouse. You get there by golf cart from the ferry landings.
Can you do a wine tasting at Silver Dew Winery?
Yes. Tastings are poured in the oil house, and bottles are sold in the lighthouse gift shop next door.
How old is Silver Dew Winery?
Papy Burn started making wine there in 1953, in a building put up in 1883 to store the lighthouse’s oil and wicks.
What kind of wine does Silver Dew make?
Burn made his from blackberries, elderberries and scuppernongs, and scuppernong vines grow beside the oil house today. Visitors mention a margarita wine and Big Joe’s dry red blend.
When is Silver Dew Winery open?
Hours change with the seasons, and Google lists it as closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Call (843) 342-8687 before you go.
Is Silver Dew Winery the same place as the Bloody Point Lighthouse museum?
They share the grounds. The winery is in the oil house and the museum and gift shop are in the keeper’s house, so most visitors see both.
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