From all of us here at Grand Cru Co, we hope you had an absolutely fantastic Christmas and New Year break.

Hopefully lots of beautiful wine was consumed by you all and hopefully we had a part to play in that!



This year will be a big one for us, lots of new wines and events will be popping up throughout the coming months with some real favorites which we have been hounded for finally making an appearance! Keep your eyes on the website, social media and shop as we will be announcing everything.

Have any suggestions or questions about the business? Drop us a line at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.and we will do everything we can to assist you!

Cheers!

Dessert wines are best when paired with food, and the act of using the wine to enhance the dessert and vice versa can lead to some pretty mind-blowing combinations.

Enhance your Christmas dinner experience by indulging in one of these luscious, multi-layered wines.




Lions de Suduiraut 2012 £12.95

Mascaron de Ginestet, Sauternes 2010 £14.95

Chateau Filhot Sauternes 2005 £19.99

Gewürztraminer Classic, Hugel 2013 £16.95

Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese, Joh Jos Prum 2007 £37.95

Graham's 10YO Tawny Port £15.95

Warre's 1983 £69.95

Cheers !

www.grandcruco.com

Christmas is the one time of year when we like to indulge in drinking wine with our meals. However with such a large selection how do you start to choose? Here at Grand Cru we put together a range of wines, specifically aimed at matching Christmas menus for the festive period !

Dessert wines are best when paired with food, and the act of using the wine to enhance the dessert and vice versa can lead to some pretty mind-blowing combinations.



Enhance your Christmas dinner experience by indulging in one of these luscious, multi-layered wines.

Lions de Suduiraut 2012 £12.95

Mascaron de Ginestet, Sauternes 2010 £14.95

Chateau Filhot Sauternes 2005 £19.99

Gewürztraminer Classic, Hugel 2013 £16.95

Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese, Joh Jos Prum 2007 £37.95

Graham's 10YO Tawny Port £15.95

Warre's 1983 £69.95

Cheers !

www.grandcruco.com

UV light box offers hope for vegan wine lovers, says winemaker

A new device that claims to soften tannins in young wine by exposing the juice to ultraviolet light could also help increase the number of wines available for vegans, according to winemakers taking part in early trials. A Swiss company claims to be offering winemakers a new weapon against harsh tannins and underripe wines.

Some winemakers also believe that the firm’s namesake gadget, Vino Flux, could make it easier to produce vegan wines. Vino Flux is trialling its namesake device with 150 Australian wineries, and it claims that its UV light rays will soften tannins and speed up the maturation process.

Exposing wine to ultraviolet light can be detrimental to colour, tannin and ageing potential. But Vino Flux distributor Aldo Bratovic said the Swiss firm had found a way to target red wine tannins by using specific wavelengths in the UV range, without affecting the fruit profile.

Julian Langworthy, winemaker at Deeps Woods Estate in Margaret River and who trialled the new device with Bratovic on Cabernet wines, said that he noticed a clear difference in the treated wines.

‘This technology is exciting for the industry, especially if you need help with wines that have experienced a bad vintage or are from a challenging site,’ Langworthy said.

 




How Britain could be a major wine producer by 2100

From Pinot Grigio in the Scottish Borders to Tempranillo vineyards in central London, a new study projects that temperature rises linked to climate change will turn the UK into a major wine producer by 2100.

A warmer climate is set to transform Britain from a fringe player on the global wine-making scene to a major producer by the end of the 21st Century, according to a study commissioned by retailer and merchant Laithwaite’s.

An expected rise in temperatures of more than 2 degrees celsius, plus around 5% more rain, means that UK is going to be well placed to produce a whole variety of wine styles.

Pinot Grigio, Riesling and Pinot Noir could even make it as far north as the Scottish Borders. And Essex on the outskirts of London might be producing Malbec – despite its tricky reputation – as well as Syrah and Chardonnay, researchers said.

The study will likely raise a few eyebrows in the wine world.

English sparkling wines have gained respect with several awards in recent years, but the idea of Britain joining the top tier of world wine producers is still one of the best ways to raise a smile in the wine-making villages of southern France.

 




Pesticide protesters raise pressure in Bordeaux

Campaigners in the Bordeaux wine region have staged what they say will be the first of several actions to highlight the purported risks of pesticide use for vineyard workers and locals. Protesters in the Médoc on Bordeaux‘s Left Bank planted a series of un-marked white crosses last weekend and erected placards warning of the risks of pesticide-related illness.

Marie-Lys Bibeyran, of protest group ‘Médoc Pesticides Collective’, addressed vineyard workers directly in a statement. ‘We are here for you,’ she said. ‘You should not have to choose between health and work.’

Pesticides have re-emerged as a hot topic in some parts of the wine world in 2016. That is especially true in the Bordeaux area, which was the focus of a provocative French television documentary earlier this year. The Aquitaine region of south-west France, which encompasses Bordeaux, is the largest user of pesticides in the country.

Bordeaux winemakers say that they have been pro-active on the issue. In July 2016, the Bordeaux wine council, CIVB, launched a new strategy to combat pesticide risks in association with local authorities.

They said that winemakers would re-double efforts to cut pesticide use as quickly as possible, within the French governmnent’s national plan for cutting pesticide use. That plan, known as Ecophyto, envisages a 25% cut in pesticide use by 2020 – versus 2008 levels – and a further 25% cut by 2025. The original target set by the government – a 50% reduction by 2018 – will not be met.

 

The CIVB also wants all wineries to achieve sustainable certification. Earlier this year, it said that 45% of estates were certified as sustainable.

Cheers!

You don’t need to break the bank to try something new and exciting this festive season.



Whether you’re looking for a gift, or stocking up for the big day or New Year, these Christmas white wines are exactly what you need ! Whether you prefer a round and rich or a crisp and refreshing style, here at Grand Cru you can find a great selection within a large range of prices. Try pairing a crisp white – such as the Chablis below – with a smoked salmon starter, before moving on to a fuller white - such as the Meursault - for the main course. Come and visit us … you can try them all for free !
Verdicchio di Matelica "Vigneti del Cerro" 2015 at £12.95
Nicolas Potel Chablis 2010 at £14.95
Gavi di Gavi la Giustiniana 2014 at £14.95
Weingut Turk, Grüner Veltliner, 2015 at £14.95
Joseph Mellot Pouilly-Fumé Le Tronsec 2013 at £16.75
Domaine Sauterau Sancerre 2015 at £16.95
Meursault Village Nicolas Potel 2008 at £18.95


Happy holidays from Grand Cru !