Massachusetts Surprise: Travessia Urban Winery
Just a quick post. I was on a very brief jaunt to the east coast over the July 4th holiday, and after having conversed with Marco Montez over various social media platforms for the past year and a half, decided that a visit to see him at the nearby Travessia Urban Winery, in New Bedford, MA, was in order.
I lived in Newton, MA my entire childhood, and have been to the New Bedford area many times as both a kid and an adult. It’s an interesting place, with lots of local color and co-mingling of cultures, and most notably a Portuguese influence. But it’s never been a hotbed of high-end tourism. Suffice it to say I’ve never even been to a MA winery, and certainly not one in New Bedford. Travessia is a little bit of a fish out of water, but a welcome one. Downtown New Bedford has great potential and it would be nice some more development there, if the economy ever improves…
In any case, all the wines at Travessia are made from Massachusetts grapes, and while I was skeptical before the tasting, I wasn’t at all after. Marco has done a terrific job. I’m not typically a Chardonnay gal, and usually gravitate to the unoaked iterations. But Marco’s oaked Chard is really fantastic, not overdone at all, and varietally correct. The big winner of the line-up, though, has to be the Vidal Blanc, a hybrid grape that I’d never heard of. It’s slightly off-dry, and reminds me of a cross between a Riesling and Pinot Blanc from Alsace. Really terrific flavor and acidity, and a perfect summer aperetif wine. I highly recommend picking up a bottle of the Vidal Blanc especially to see what’s possible in Massachusetts.
7 Responses to “Massachusetts Surprise: Travessia Urban Winery”
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July 9th, 2009 at 10:13 am
Hello from Wellesley!
Couldn’t agree with you more about Travessia’s wines. I’ve tasted through their line-up and the Vidal Blanc was my favorite too. A perfect wine to crack open on a warm summer evening (even thought we haven’t had too many of those yet this summer).
Glad to hear you enjoyed Marco’s wines.
Cheers!
July 9th, 2009 at 10:54 am
Jill, you were in the neighborhood and didn’t visit Robert and Rich and I? We would have taken you out! Shame on you!
July 9th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Robert, it was such a nice surprise and a reminder for me to get rid of some of my preconceived notions. I have to say, the weather was just beautiful for the days I was in town but I guess I really lucked out.
Dale, I was in South Dartmouth the whole 70 hours, with my parents — I would have loved to hang out with you guys. Next time I’m in, and a little closer to Boston, I promise!
July 11th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
I am very happy to learn about Travessia’s wines in MA. I must make a day trip. I just got back from Cape Code where I had went Truro Vineyards. Their best wine was the Chardonnay. Seems like the region is best for nice white wines.
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July 13th, 2009 at 11:12 am
I am also from Newton, MA! Currently living in Italy studying wine though… thanks for posting this, it sounds pretty interesting, I would love to learn more about where they are growing the grapes. I will stop by when I am home for a bit in August.
September 27th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
I had the opportunity recently to sample the Travessia UnOaked Chardonnay. Loved the wine and proved to be a great match with sushi! Marco is doing a great job and I look forward to his new red releases in Fall. Cheers!
http://theother46.com/2009/09/27/a-massachusetts-chardonnay/
November 27th, 2010 at 12:11 pm
Good day. I recently realized that this particular page does not show accurately in my cell phone browser. Well i guess, It looks like I will simply use the proven Internet Explorer.