Everything on this menu is made with wine
Small plates and big bottles in Didsbury
I want to be cool and pretend I’m not one for a gimmick, but that would be a lie. I’m a sucker for a limited edition flavour and I can’t resist a theme. If it’s all gimmick and no substance, that’s a different story. Give me quirk, but give me quality. The small plates menu at new Didsbury wine bar, Cru, provides both.
You don’t come here for the food. Cru is a wine bar. The clue is in the name. “New Manchester wine bar” is enough of a draw. But I was delighted to find that Cru’s menu of nibbles is thoroughly wine-themed.
On a quaint row of whitewashed shops just a few minutes walk from Didsbury Village tram stop, Cru is the newest wine bar in Greater Manchester. It takes over the former Harriet & Dee gift shop space and has been completely transformed with racing green walls, yellow velvet seats and wine-themed artwork.
Cru comes from a youthful but experienced team: Garry Lui, Henry Alassane, and Gavin Stewart. They met while working together at Reserve. They had long pondered the idea of having their own place via their Whatsapp ‘wine cru’ chat, and this year, they made it a reality.
Naming your business is often the hardest part. Cru came easy.
It works on so many levels. There is the wine meaning; a cru in wine terms is a highly regarded plot of land. It also means growth, which, Garry tells me, connects with how the lads see their adventure: opening their own wine bar; personal growth, but also growing together as a community in Didsbury. They source fish from Evans, cheese from The Cheese Hamlet just down the road, and meat from Little Pigs. Then there is the fact that Cru is a homonym for crew: a gang, a team, a cooperative.
Cru is a term often used when talking about Champagne (Grand Cru, Premier Cru, etc.), which isn’t a coincidence. Cru Didsbury has a huge focus on Champagne and other sparkling wines. I’ve not seen a wider selection by the glass or bottle in any other wine bar in Manchester. I tried a super unusual Sicilian traditional sparkling made from Nero D’avola, all soft flowers and green apple freshness with a delicate touch of cake crumb.
The still by-the-glass options are properly interesting too. We tried a Polish white wine made from red Cabernet grapes; the tasting note said papaya, and boy was it accurate. We also sipped a skin-contact Gavi, and a smoky, nutty chardonnay/savagnin blend from Jura, which I have had before at both Climat and Sterling. Two of my favourite places to drink wine in Manchester.
For reds, a more conventional Californian red blend was great with meatier dishes, and we tried a crunchy, herbal, light Portuguese red. There are beers and softs, if you want to take your non-wine-drinking mates.
The bottle shop at the back of the shop covers everything from Eastern European natty to big-ticket Champagne. The lads have eclectic tastes and vast experience between them. And if you want ot get into the nitty gritty of their range even more, they host regular tasting events. Early ones are already selling out fast.
Back to the food. We tried four dishes of the eight on the current menu. Gavin, who worked as a chef in Italy for years, tells me he will be changing things up a lot, adding new dishes, experimenting, and having fun with it. I’m sworn to secrecy about what he has up his sleeve for future menus, but the dish ideas he described sounded like a lot of fun to me.
I was pleased to see a lot of cured and smoked fish here. It works so well with sparkling wine. We thoroughly enjoyed an intense smoked trout in sake ponzu with shimeji mushrooms pickled in Riesling. There’s tuna too, also in ponzu (made with plum wine), served with seaweed. This one is a bit spicier, so choose your wine pairing carefully. Get something a bit off dry if you can. The Languedoc toast with Picpoul De Pinet infused smoked mackerel pate, aka ‘Languedoc Toast,’ was our favourite of the fishy plates. Don’t miss it.
I also loved the ‘Cheeky Shiraz’, a pig cheek slow-cooked in Shiraz, topped with crumbly white Turkish cheese and pink pickled shallot, served on Afghan bread.
Elsewhere, there’s butter whipped with reduced-down Pinot Noir, smoked salmon cured in beetroot and rosé Prosecco, Falafel with three bean chilli enriched by a good splosh of Primitivo, and hummus with a tangy Rioja-based drizzle.
Four dishes are a good amount for two to nibble on. I’d order everything on the menu if you want a full meal for two or more people.
Although the wine theme is playful, it works. Wine features in so many dishes anyway; it’s highlighted here to great effect.
If you like wine and you want to try some wine-themed dishes with it, or even if you are just looking to buy an interesting bottle as a gift. Cru is a great little wine bar run by an enthusiastic trio. Drop in and show them some support.
Cru is at 8 Warburton St, Didsbury, Manchester M20 6WA. Find them on Instagram.
Immediately added to the (always expanding!) list. Thanks.