Meet the Owners: Cru Cellars

Editor's note: Meet the Owner is a regular Patch feature spotlighting South Tampa's small business owners. Want to be featured next or have a business to recommend? Post a comment below or email us at southtampa@patch.com.

2506 S MacDill Ave.
813-831-1117
crucellarstampa.com

Store vintage: Cru was formerly Gianpiero's Pick of the Vine Specialties and Wines before Jennifer and Torrey Bingham bought the business and reconfigured it in August 2010 into a wine bar and shop. 

Niche: "We're the only real wine bar of its kind in the area," said Jennifer Bingham, "that has really great boutique wines, or small production wines, at great prices. We cater more to the everyday wine person. Most of our bottles are under 50 dollars. It's important to have a place where you can enjoy wine without breaking the bank." 

The tru Cru: "We get a lot of business people meeting their clients after work," Bingham said. "We have probably a more mature clientele than probably those who go to the bars. I think wine attracts maybe women more than men. We don't have any TVs, so it's a place where you can have a conversation instead of just getting sucked into the TV." 

How is Tampa as a wine town? "Tampa is hard to put your finger on," said Bingham, "because we have which has the best wine selection in the world. Bern's is for special occasions. The closest thing to us would be the , probably."

Drink and food: In February, Cru added a full kitchen and debuted a gourmet food menu designed by chefs Jason Ruhe and Hope Montgomery Ruhe of South Tampa's In Bloom Catering.