Cru

Tucked down a quaint cobbled street off Wilmslow Road in Didsbury Village, Cru is the kind of wine bar everyone would want in their neighbourhood. 

It’s cosy and unmistakably personal, built from scratch by three friends who spent nearly a decade talking about setting up this very place.

Garry, Gavin and Henry met at Reserve Wines and eventually turned their long-running ‘what if?’ into Cru, named both for the French classification of fine wine and their own crew-like bond.

It’s wine made super-approachable, with their specialty being bubbles. “Sparkling shouldn’t just be for birthdays,” says Garry, so they’ve sourced sparkling wines from all over the world, from Belgium to Moldova, cavas to lambruscos. They range from super-affordable to a handful of prestige picks.

With Gavin in the kitchen, the food leans towards the playful, with every dish using wine in some way, from infusions to pickles and cures. House-made hummus is brightened with reduced Rioja, while a stew of beef chuck has been slow-braised in Pet-Nat with Korean spices.

Open six days a week, Cru pours with purpose – and loads of heart.