Inside Durham's new wine bar Crush with a choice of more than 80 wines

Crush has transformed a former vintage shop at the bottom of North Road into a wine bar, specialising in wines by the glass.

It’s only been open a fortnight, but has already welcomed hundreds through the doors with people eager to test their palates with its adventurous choice of wines.

Crush has been brought to the city by sommelier Daniel Jonberger and business partner Craig Lapin-Smith.

Daniel has decades of experience in the wine industry, having been head sommelier at some of the North’s finest venues, including Rockliffe Hall near Darlington and two Michelin Star Raby Hunt, as well as being a consultant at venues including Swinton Estate in North Yorkshire and Headlam Hall in Darlington.

“I would say 95% of these wines, you won’t find on another wine list in Durham and quite a lot are organic and biodynamic,” said Daniel whose diverse wine list includes options such as a Texan Malbec, an Indian Chenin Blanc, Weightstone WE White No 4 from Taiwan and wines from the Dionisos winery in Spain, which specialises in traditional wine making.

“When people are looking for a wine recommendations, I always ask one thing ‘do you trust me?’. I give them a wine they’ve never head of before and they say ‘thank you!’

“I think to work with your hobby must be one of the best things in life.”

Crush also sells meat and cheese boards to accompany wines, priced from around £7 a glass, which have proved a popular arm to the business.

Daniel first worked with Craig on some of the latter’s other business ventures as co-owner of Coarse and Isla, both also in North Road.

The sommelier said: “When Craig first opened Coarse with Ruari (chef and co-owner), he contacted me to help with the wine flight and during that time I also helped train the staff.

“They later opened Isla and Craig asked if I would like to go into business with another venture - I immediately said a wine bar. That was three months ago and now we have Crush.”

He added: “We looked at another unit but this one stood out. My vision was always to create something soft and welcoming, with the colour scheme, yellow lighting, copper bar and comfortable seating.

“I always wanted people to be able to sit for as long as they want and that seems to have worked as the guests have all commented on how cosy it is.

“I think the biggest compliment is that ladies say they feel safe here, some come and order a glass of wine and sit with a book.”

The trio of businesses; Crush, Coarse, which is one of the top-rated restaurants in the city and listed in the Michelin Guide, and Isla, which also opened this summer, are helping to boost the offering at this end of the historic city.

“One of the main things people have said is that Crush is helping to lift the offering in North Road,” said Daniel. “Everyone is saying it’s just what North Road needed and we feel very proud about that.”

The new opening comes as the Echo’s parent company, National World, is hosting National Food and Drink Month throughout September, an initiative backed by UKHospitality, the voice of the sector.

As part of the month, we’ll be shouting even louder about the city’s hospitality venues and asking readers to share their favourites.

*Crush, North Road, is open Wednesday to Saturday from 12pm to 11pm. On Sundays, the bar is planning ticketed wine pairings and pop up chef events.

The first will be a wine tasting and nibbles event taking place on September 22, priced £55 per person. You can book at the venue itself.