Cheri and I grew up in the New Bedford, MA area, and have seen the city’s downtown go through rebuild and renaissance several times. Most have not had lasting effects, but the downtown area these days has a different feeling. Restaurants and shops along Purchase street and close by seem to be thriving, and there is an upbeat vibe. In the middle of this is Crush, a charming and eclectic wine shop owned and operated by Resident Sommelier Kristian Vasilev. In keeping with the local trend his shop is airy and open with elements of the past redone to house the new. It’s a great space.
Inside is a broad selection of wines from all over the world, and it is the variety and availability of out of the way bottles that really makes Crush shine. You can get all the normal staples
The back wall
of course, with selections from California, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Tuscany, Piedmont and Spain. You can also get all kinds of other things you might never have seen before. Over the past few years we’ve tried a Picpoul from the Mediterranean Coast with an amazing salinity to it, some great sparklers from Alsace and Cava, an excellent Chinon from the Loire and a white Nebbiolo. The list is endless.
Somewhat random but cool antique bicycle
As we were in the area visiting family this past weekend, it seemed time to drop in again and see what was happening at Crush. It was quiet, so we had a chance to chat with Kristian and try a few wines. If you stop in on a Saturday afternoon it’s a good bet there will be a few bottles open to sample. On this day Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and a Red Blend were available. The Sauvignon Blanc from Tourraine in the Loire Valley was very good, clean and crisp, but unfortunately for us it was not arriving until the following Monday. This calls for a return trip.
We did manage to do some damage however. There were several wines we had tried back in the Fall
Our purchases
at the New Bedford Whale event (read about that here) which we have been meaning to pick up. The Pierre Sparr Cremant D’Alsace Brut Reserve and the 2013 Laetitia Estate Pinot Noir were there. We added a bottle of Rioja, a Cru Beaujolais, another Pinot Noir and a Rosé sparkler as well. There is a lot to choose from.
If you’re in the area, like wine, like talking about wine or need a bottle for the company Christmas party stop in and see Kristian. He really knows wine and enjoys sharing that wealth of knowledge. You’ll most likely find something to bring home.
Crush is located at:
801 Purchase Street
New Bedford, MA 02740
508-997-0600
Website: http://crushfinewine.com/index.html
Here are the notes on the Sauvignon Blanc:
Wine: 2014 Guy Allion Les Mazelles Sauvignon
Winery Location: Tourraine – Loire Valley France
Tasted By: Neil & Cheri Date: December 2015
Tasting Notes: – this is a clean wine with aromas of apple coming through cleanly. On the palate it is crisp and extremely pleasant, with bright fruit and refreshing acid. This is the kind of wine you can drink all the time. It’s very good.
Price Point – $12-$15
Would We Buy It? – absolutely, and we wanted to but it wasn’t arriving for a few more days. We’ll need to stop in again soon.
A votre santé!
[…] Vasilev, the proprietor, always has something open and lots of unusual things on his shelves. (You can read a bit about the store by clicking here) The open wines tend to be in the sweet spot for good value, $10 to $20, and more often than not we […]