December 2019 – Thank You
On December 31st 2019, Travessia Winery will open its door for one last time. But let’s go back to the beginning…
December 14th, 2008, Travessia Urban Winery opened its door to the public. Two Chardonnay wines, one barrel aged, one unoaked, and two Vidal Blanc wines, one off-dry, one sweet. That was all we had to offer in the beginning. The small rectangular shaped room was equipped with a couple of shinny stainless steel tanks and a few used oak barrels. There was also a small press, a pump and a hand corker. And free wine tastings for all!
Travessia’s first ever customer walks in, a lovely lady who owned a local art gallery and just happened to be strolling by when she saw our “OPEN” flag. After enjoying her tasting she left us with a $1 bill, for good luck you know? And so it began.
Buying grapes from nearby vineyards and turning them into wine in downtown New Bedford, “The City That Lit The World.” Anyone can have a crazy idea, but it takes some courage and a good dose of naiveness to actually pull it off and turn the idea into reality. From its humble beginning, Travessia eventually grew to a one-thousand plus case winery.
I could write a book about this experience…
Getting a full pallet of bottles stuck on the sidewalk at 4AM; sideswiping a parked car while pulling over with a rental truck full of grapes; being scolded by the occasional wine connoisseur for blending Zinfandel with Cabernet Sauvignon; crushing it at the Wine Riot events in Boston; introducing “Fresh” wine to our wine loving community; arguing with local residents because I allow the homeless to sleep under the winery’s entrance during the Winter… and on and on… an endless number of stories. So maybe one day I will write that book, but for now I’ll just keep pushing forward.
Why is Travessia Winery closing? It’s really simple…
1. Four years ago, the building that houses Travessia was purchased. The new owners increased the rent by 65%, so the winery’s production had to grow in order to sustain this rent increase. But there was no space for this growth to happen at the current location.
2. After many tries, I was unable to find a new location for the winery. Between issues with handicap accessibility and inability to obtain proper funding, it just became obvious that a move was not going to happen.
3. Earlier this year I was fortunate to be offered and accepted the position of Winemaker at Westport Rivers Vineyard & Winery (it’s been an amazing experience thus far).
I realize that many of our loyal customers feel sad about this. I understand and truly appreciate your feeling… it tells me this wasn’t just a winery to you, it meant something more. More than just wine. But I’m looking forward to the next chapter… if all goes well, in 2020 Travessia Winery will be reborn as Travessia Wine & Tapas Bar, not far from the current winery location in downtown New Bedford. The reason I started the winery will remain at the core… to bring people together through the enjoyment of real wine. Some of our current Travessia wines will still be available in stores because they will be made at Penada, my family’s vineyard/winery in Portugal.
If you want to stay up to date on the progress of Travessia Wine Bar, keep following our social media channels and don’t quit this email subscription.
Between now and December 31st, Travessia will be open every day from Noon to 7PM (except for Christmas Day). We have a great lineup of wines available and I’ll personally be around most of the time. I hope to see many of you in person for one last time at the winery.
I’ve met some amazing people through this journey, people who I wouldn’t know otherwise. Thank You for supporting Travessia Winery these past 11 years… your support means more than I can express in words.
“Everything is going to be fine in the end. If it’s not fine it’s not the end.”
― Oscar Wilde
Thank You,
Marco Montez
