Cru (wine)

Cru is a wine term used to indicate a high-quality vineyard or group of vineyards. It is a French word which was originally used to refer to anything grown in a region and that region but is now mostly used to refer to a vineyard and its wines. The term is often used within classifications of French wine. By implication, a wine that displays (or is allowed to display) the name of its cru on its wine label is supposed to exhibit the typical characteristics of this vineyard or group of vineyards. The terms premier cru and grand cru designate levels of presumed quality that are variously defined in different wine regions. Premier cru is a French language wine term corresponding to "first growth" and which can be used to refer to classified vineyards, wineries and wines, with different meanings in different wine regions: For Bordeaux wine, the term is applied to classified wineries: In the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, Premier cru or Premier cru classé is the highest level of five within the "Grand cru classé" designation for red wines from the Médoc and Graves, and the second-highest of three in Sauternes where the highest is Premier cru supérieur (superior first growth). These wines are often referred to as first growths in English. In the classification of Saint-Émilion wine, the highest level is Premier grand cru classé A and the second highest Premier grand cru classé B. The term Saint-Émilion grand cru refers to wineries or wines below the overall Grand cru classé level, and is integrated within the appellation rules. For Burgundy wine, the term is applied to classified vineyards, with Premier cru being the second highest classification level, below that of grand cru and above the basic village AOCs. For Burgundy wines, the terms premier cru (abbreviated 1er cru) are usually kept rather than being translated into English. Grand cru (French for 'great growth') is a regional wine classification that designates a vineyard known for its favorable reputation in producing wine.