Boston wine bar celebrates Pride with a huge fundraiser while making wine more approachable
A small wine bar in Boston's Downtown Crossing is helping create lasting memories for its guests by making wine more approachable.
It may look like your average wine bar, but at , the vibe is anything but. The wine bar's guests are typically packed like sardines, fitting for a spot known for its tinned fish and organic wine.
"Undeniable energy"
"When people walk through that door, that's when the experience starts," said owner Haley Fortier. "And we have this undeniable energy here that is really fun."
Fortier opened the bar with no partner, no chef and no plans to cook. But the demand and the menu grew fast.
"We had people that just kept coming in and coming in and, you know, two and three times a week and now they want something hot and x, y and z," said Fortier. "And so it's really morphed into this thing that it is."
Now the tiny kitchen pumps out a full menu, from tinned fish and barbecue beef sliders to eel on potato chips.
Fortier's main mission is making wine approachable. No oversized lists, no pretense, just passion.
"We've just kind of brought that pretention of what people think in their mind is this wine bar," said Fortier. "We've brought it down to a level that people can relate to and understand."
The bar is more than just great pours and playlists. It's also a place where everyone is welcome.
"It's a very queer forward staff," said Fortier. "But the importance here is really, since day one, we've always been a place of inclusivity."
Special Pride fundraiser
Every June, that spirit takes center stage with an over the top pride party that doubles as a fundraiser.
"It's called our Pink Party. Last year was cowboy-themed, Dolly Parton," said Fortier. "But basically what we're doing is we're turning this into a tattoo parlor meets dive bar meets Chappell Roan meets pink. It's going to be really fun."
Beyond pride, the bar gives back year-round, supporting women's health and local LGBTQ+ organizations like right down the street. So whether it's Orange Wine October or Wiener Wednesdays, haley.henry likes to keep things quirky.
"We don't take ourselves too seriously but we're serious about what we serve, who we serve and how they feel when they leave here," said Fortier. "Nine times out of 10, people are leaving here very, very happy. They feel like they've come to a safe place, an inclusive place. We have all the right vibes, we have all the right energy."
