Grand Cru Wine Merchants

Not just a wine store! Great beer and spirit selection too! If you’re into bourbon you’ll have to check out the bourbon wall. Craig knows his stuff and makes great recommendations for any price range. If you don’t see it, he can order it.

Craig and his store get an A plus. We are new residents to lake forest and have had several formal dinner parties. I walked into the store in order to stock up for these dinners and within a short period of time it became obvious Craig knows his wine and is passionate about it. He has excellent selections at reasonable prices. He does not try and upcharge but instead is more than willing to work within whatever budget you indicate. We bought more moderately priced wines as well as some that was quite expensive. All was excellent. I cannot recommend Grand Cru more highly.
Devon B.

Good free wine tasting. Excellent wine selection and prices. Owner very knowledgable and helpful. Highly recommend this wine shop!

After discovering a wine I loved at a restaurant in Chicago I learned it was pretty hard to find retail so I searched on line and found it here. Called to confirm it was in stock. Drove quite a distance and was not disappointed! The owner was friendly and listening to great music. He helped me pick some additional wines and made me feel very comfortable. Didn’t talk down to me and gave his advice in a friendly fun manner. We had fun talking to him and recommend this little gem of a store to anyone who may be slightly intimidated by specialty wine stores. Great guy and great service.

Oh I am so happy my pizza wasn’t ready when I got to Lou Malnati’s. I had 10 minutes to kill and was drawn like a moth into Grand Cru…
The door shut behind me and I knew I could loose a few Benjamins in here if I didn’t restrain myself. Fortunately the staff didn’t take advantage of that look in my eye and some drool running down my chin.
I walked out of there with a couple of amazing bottles of port AND a lesson in LBV /​single vineyard practices. Very cool stuff, staff was fantastic. Oh and they chilled the Riesling I got for my sister in law. I figured this close to Xmas I should buy something for someone else…
My regret as I walked out the door, was not seeing the cooler of craft beer all the way in the back until too late. I caught a glimpse of it as I grabbed all my wine like things off the counter. I will be back.

An absolute gem of a store run by Craig Brautigam, an extremely knowledgeable owner that is extremely customer friendly. The wine selection is first rate with choices ranging from extremely affordable wines in the $ 10 to $ 20 range to rare and hard to find cult wines that you have always wanted to try but never thought you would find. Craig will only carries wines that are high in quality so it takes the guess work out of which bottle in the $ 10 to $ 20 range you should buy. However, if you have any questions, he will be there to walk you through any questions you may have, including which wine is ready to drink now, which wine pairs well with a certain meal and/​or which wine is good to bring to a friend’s party. The cellar selections are top notch. Shafer, TOR, Château D’Yquem, Clos de Papes, Paul Hobbs To Kalon, and a host of other great wines are easily found in the cellar.
For the beer geeks out there, this store offers an absolute treasure trove of great craft beers. Dogfish Head, Lagunitas, Founders, Three Floyds and a host of other popular craft beers are available (including many of the rare bottlings that send beer geeks into a panic when they hit the streets). Craig is extremely knowledgeable about these beers and will easily steer you towards a brew that will please your palate. This is not a store to go to if you are looking for a 30 pack of Miller Lite. However, if a bottle of a limited edition bottling of a Lagunitas seasonal is what you are searching for, than this is the store for you.
Craig is also a trained chef so when he tells you what wine to pair with a certain food, that advice is coming from a classically trained expert, and not some hired hand at Binnys that doesn’t know the first thing about pairing wine with food other than what he may have read online.
I urge everyone to run to this hidden treasure of a store. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED. THIS STORE IS AN ABSOLUTE 5 DIAMOND GEM.

I’ve been going to Grand Cru for several years now and happy to be a member of their monthly wine club. I get 2 bottles, usually 1 red and 1 white, every month. Craig, the owner, picks out a couple of «out of the way» wines every month and it’s a great a way to explore. As other commenters have stated, he is great in selecting the perfect wine for a special occasion or gift. Highly recommended!

I’ve been shopping at Grand Cru since they opened and the selection is well thought out. The owner is happy to help or to just let you make your own discoveries. Great tasting on various Saturdays and I guess some pretty nice wine dinners (I’ve not been to any) They sure sound good!

Three years ago, I walked into Grand Cru, which I had passed everyday on my way to a from work, for the first time and said, «I’m taking my fiancée out for her birthday tonight to a BYOB Asian dumpling place, so I’m looking for something that pairs well with whatever we might get there. It’s in the city (an hour an half away with Friday night traffic and a Cubs game), so I need something that doesn’t need to be refrigerated. And I don’t want to spend more than $ 30.» I have bought a bottle of Lambrusco, the one he recommended me that night, at least once month since.
Grand Cru has since branched into craft beer, batch bourbon, high end vodka, Japanese sake, and more. I know I can go there with whatever questions I have and not be laughed at. I know I can go in there and just chat it up with the owner. I know I can recommend Grand Cru to anybody without feeling like I’m sending them to be entangled in the snares of a pretentious wine tsar.
I have, however, found Grand Cru’s prices to be a dollar or so higher than the bigger stores in the area (Binny’s and Teddy’s), but I happy pay them because I want to support locally owned business and it would be a travesty if this place closed.
Bottom line: Fantastic selection. Down to Earth vibe. Nice people. Fun events (especially the beer tasting and the anniversary party at which pulled pork sandwiches were served for free). You learn something new every time you walk in. A place like this is a true rarity nowadays.