Grandbois Wines

Philippe worked his way around the wine world as a sommelier and hospitality manager: the Barossa in Australia, Waipara Hills in New Zealand, Dijon in Burgundy, and finally the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, where he ran bars and restaurants and spent every spare hour in cellars. Tanja trained as a pastry chef in some of the Black Forest’s better kitchens, got pulled towards wine instead, went to the vineyards of West Kelowna and then worked harvest in the Mosel at Dr. Loosen.

They met in the Okanagan and then did the least practical thing available, which was to move to Germany and start a wine estate from nothing.

In 2018 they landed in Maring-Noviand, a quiet village a few hundred metres off the Lieser on the old Moselle path, and began farming three hectares on the slate and limestone slopes. The first Grandbois vintage came in 2021. Two people who gave up stable careers for this is not a story you have to look very hard for in the wines.

Where is Grandbois Wines based?

Maring-Noviand in the Mosel valley, Germany. Three hectares on the old Moselle path, a few hundred metres from the Lieser river, on slate and limestone. Their first vintage was 2021.

Who are Tanja and Philippe Grandbois?

Philippe was a sommelier and hospitality manager who worked across Australia, New Zealand, Burgundy and Canada. Tanja trained as a pastry chef in the Black Forest, moved into wine in British Columbia and worked harvest at Dr. Loosen in the Mosel. They moved to Germany in 2018.

What is Bacchus?

A German crossing with an intensely aromatic, almost floral character. Grandbois use it in the Bad Behaviour pét nat and the Sanglier, and it turns up in the Mixtape blend.

Why are the wines named after animals?

Cerf is a stag, Sanglier a boar, and there is a Kestrel, a Pinecone and a Unicorn Knight. The labels are a large part of the appeal and they are entirely Tanja and Philippe's own.

Do Grandbois wines contain sulphites?

Very little. Fermentations are spontaneous and intervention is kept to a minimum. Small amounts of sulphites occur naturally in all wine as a by-product of fermentation, so no wine is ever truly sulphite-free.

How much wine does Grandbois make?

Around 10,000 bottles a year across the whole range, from three hectares. Allocations here are small and the popular bottlings go quickly.