In the last decade, the neighborhoods of Mott Haven and Port Morris have undergone rapid development. As luxury housing went up along the Harlem River waterfront, niche bars and restaurants opened to accommodate the changing demographic, especially along Bruckner Boulevard.
iNine Bistro opened in 2018, specializing in Afro-fusion cuisine. Bar 47 opened in 2022, bringing the only pool table to the neighborhood, and over the weekend, Pour BX Wine Bar celebrated their official grand opening to a bevy of excited locals.
“You know, we have so many bars open with just basic alcohol, not a lot of wine options, and just having something like this is nice,” Brenda Dasilva said, a local who grew up in the neighborhood and attended opening night with her confidante Sami Yearwood.
The two became wine aficionados over a decade of friendship, but when it comes to where they go for a glass of wine, “ we’ll just like buy a bottle of whatever we want and we’ll just hang out,” DaSilva said.
Opened by Cyndi Bajema and Vish Deasmoney, “partners in business and partners in life,” the quaint wine bar at 63 Bruckner Blvd., is the Bronx-based couple’s first venture into the hospitality industry. The two met 2022 when they casually struck up a conversation about horses at the Belmont races in Long Island.
Deasmoney grew up near Intervale Avenue and worked in the mattress business for nearly 20 years and Bajema grew up in the midwest and was an aerospace engineer before she retired. Early in her career, she gained a passion for wine while working for someone who also owned a winery.
From there, she sought out wines in her travels from California to France.
“ I’ve gained so much knowledge into wine. Like, [Cyndi] teaches me all this stuff,” Deasmoney said.
Pour BX offers familiar varieties, like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, but also boasts more unique options, like a Cannonau from the “blue zones” of Sardinia, a region known for its centenarians.
“If you drink this wine, you’ll live to 100,” Bajema joked.
Being the only place of its kind for miles, the couple hopes Pour BX can bring the joy of wine drinking to the South Bronx.
“I was like, people in the Bronx have to love wine just as much as people in Manhattan. So we just felt like it was a gap in the market that we could come in and people would be excited about it,” Bajema added.
While new businesses bring excitement to the neighborhood, many have also shuttered in the last few years. Pour BX wine bar replaced SOBRO Juice. Beatstro, a popular restaurant for comfort food and events, closed. Chocobar Cortes shuttered its doors after a string of burglaries, according to owner Carlos Cortes and Bricks and Hop introduced craft beer to the neighborhood and closed in 2024, along with others.
However, locals are excited for the new addition, showing their support over the weekend.
Basked in a warm orange glow, the small space boasts 20 seats, with eight at the marble-top bar, and Deasmoney and Bajema working furiously to keep up with the outpour of support over the weekend.
As an introduction to the neighborhood and for a limited time, Pour BX provides an all-day happy hour with $8 wines, $5 beers and homemade peach bellini jello shots for $3. The bar also offers non-alcoholic wines and a charcuterie plate for snacking, with sandwiches set to roll out on the menu soon.
“I look forward to them having maybe tastings and invite the community. So that way we can learn how to pair, you know, mac and cheese with specific wines. Maybe some deep-fried chicken, you know, some of the local foods,” Antonio Marroquin said, a local who enjoyed a bottle of Pinot Gris with his wife on Friday.
Reach ET Rodriguez at etrodriguez317@gmail.com. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
