[imagesource:gencraftai]
Does the ‘Grand Cru’ and ‘Premier Cru’ labelling on wine bottles actually mean something, or is it just clever marketing?
Sometimes their merely hollow terms designed to make you believe a wine is of a specific quality. However, the phrases don’t just spring from nowhere, and they may be rather useful when you know what you’re searching for.
So what does cru mean? The word directly translates to ‘growth,’ and indicates a superior vineyard; when considering soil, climate, altitude, and the direction the vineyard’s slope faces. Unfortunately the word ‘cru’ does not really have any meaning when applied to wine from outside France.
Although mostly referring to the ‘best-growing locations or estates’, its definition varies from region to region in France. Grand Cru would then refer to “great growth” whereas Premier Cru merely implies “first growth.”
The use of cru is similar to the ‘reserve’ and ‘grand reserve’, labels we often see. Those labels are equally iffy outside of the regions from where they originate. In Italy, Spain, Argentina and Portugal, the Reserva designation means something, but anywhere else it’s just a word on a label. ‘Reserve’ is nonetheless frequently used by manufacturers in the US, Australia, New Zealand, and even South Africa to convey quality.
In Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Argentina the labelling of wine as Reserva is done under strict regulations set by regional ‘wine authorities’ that dictate how the term Riserva can be used. In addition to ageing time, rules determine the area in which grapes may be produced, the kinds that can be used, whether irrigation is permitted, vine density, and the number of grapes planted per hectare.
Riserva wines will also last longer than non-reserve wines, so there is that.
Getting back to cru, the designation only refers to vineyard sites in France and won’t cover any growing requirements like with Reserva. In short, designating your wine a cru doesn’t really indicate anything specifically about the quality, unless you live in France – in which case it likely only indicates where the wine was produced.
This might not sit well with experienced sommeliers, so perhaps we should note that in Bordeaux, premier cru refers to the highest degree of vineyard quality, whereas in Burgundy, grand cru is a degree above premier cru. Perhaps the word means something different to everyone, so use it as you please.
If all this talk of fine wine has your palate tingling, you can head over to Terra Del Capo Tasting Room
& Antipasti Bar at Anthonij Rupert Wyne Estate this weekend to sample some of the best wines from their lifestyle brands whilst also enjoying lunch in the scenic beauty of the Great Drakenstein Mountain range.
To cru, or not to cru? Who cares? Rather have a Cap Classique.
[source:robbreport]
