A MOMENT TO SPARKLE
Bouzy, a new champagne and cocktail bar coming to Hyde Park Village, hopes to tap into growing interest in sparkling wine.

By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jan 15, 2021

A champagne and cocktail bar created by the owner of South Tampa's Cru Cellars plans to be popping bottles in Hyde Park Village by late summer.

Jennifer Bingham, sommelier and owner of Cru, has signed a lease to open Bouzy in a storefront between Clean Juice and Hyde House on West Snow Avenue. The space is around 1,100 square feet and will include a private cellar that can be booked for brunches, showers and other events.

"We’ve done a lot of sparkling wine events over the last two or three years that sell out instantly," Bingham told the Tampa Bay Business Journal. "People love an excuse to open sparkling wine and enjoy it."

Bouzy is named for a village in the Champagne region of France; it's pronounced like "boozy," which is also an apt name, Bingham laughs. The total startup investment in Bouzy will be under $1 million. The aesthetic, according to Hyde Park developer WS Development, is a "contemporary take on the sultry glamour of the art-nouveau champagne and cocktail lounge."

Chris Rossi Studio is the designer of the new bar.

Bouzy is currently in the design phase; construction won't begin until the city signs off on a full liquor license. A city council hearing is set for late February. "I’m optimistic that council and the community will agree that it’s a great fit for the neighborhood," said David Singer, a partner in Shumaker Loop and Kendrick LLP who represents Bingham. Bingham is currently a candidate for champagne master through the Wine Scholar Guild program. She passed her Certified Sommelier exam in 2007. Wines will be available to order by the glass or from a bottle list of 75 sparkling wines from around world. Sommelier-trained bartenders will engage patrons. Bouzy will also offer food and be open for lunch and dinner.

“Our eateries are beloved within our community and we look forward to welcoming another best-in-class concept to the mix," Nicole Dee, general manager of Hyde Park Village, said in a statement.

It will be Bingham's fourth location; in addition to Cru in Palma Ceia, she has a location inside Heights Public Market at Armature Works and a forthcoming restaurant and wine bar in the Westshore Marina District. Her space within the Westshore Marina District will be turned over to her for interior buildout in April, and it will also open later this year.