Bassin Family
Bruce Bassin
Heart’s Delight is dedicated to the memory of Bruce Bassin.
Bruce Bassin, son of MacArthur Beverages’ owners Addy and Ruth Bassin, enthusiastically joined the family business after college in 1979. Like his father, Bruce embraced French wines, especially those from Bordeaux, as well as the French people, culture, and language.
Sadly, Addy, a renowned connoisseur, and buyer passed away leaving Bruce and his mother Ruth to carry on the MacArthur Beverages’ unique and central position in the wine retail industry of Washington, DC. Blessed with a gregarious personality, Bruce’s astute merchandising of fine wines made him immensely popular among colleagues and customers alike. At the young age of 40, Bruce died suddenly of a massive heart attack. He was survived by his wife, Kris, and his three children Alexis, Morgan, and Aaron. This event, organized by his fellow wine connoisseurs, the American Heart Association, and MacArthur Beverages, is a tribute to Bruce in the hope of furthering the fight against cardiovascular disease and stroke.
Ruth Bassin
It is with profound sadness and great sorrow that we announce the passing of Ruth Bassin, owner and matriarch of MacArthur Beverages and founding sponsor of Heart’s Delight.
When Mrs. Bassin lost her son, Bruce, in 1998 to a sudden heart attack at the young age of 40, it inspired her to establish Heart’s Delight. The event will be an enduring legacy to Ruth Bassin, a tribute to Bruce, and fight against heart disease and stroke.
Mrs. Bassin passed away on August 21, 2016.
Ruth Bassin Memorial Award
We sadly lost Ruth Bassin in 2016. She was an incredibly kind, generous, loving woman who was devoted to her family. We are all better off for knowing Ruth Bassin, even if it wasn’t long enough. We wanted to create an award to keep her spirit alive and pay tribute to the kind and generous person she was. In 2017 her daughters, Gail and Barbara Bassin, presented the first annual Ruth Bassin Memorial Award to Jamie Ritchie.
2017 – Jamie Ritchie
2018 – J.D. Murphy (awarded posthumously)
2022 – Dennis Yee
2023 – Bill Plante (awarded posthumously)
2024 – Nick Calio
