The Grounded Cru team value the little things; handcrafting wines with passion and honesty to deliver the vineyard to your table.

Based in McLaren Vale, South Australia, Grounded Cru creates handcrafted wines from the regions of the Adelaide Hills and Langhorne Creek nearby, the Grounded Cru team are able to handcraft wines from our premium vineyards in the ‘Vale, Hills & Creek’. Working hand in glove with growers they ensure grapes are picked at the optimum ripeness, resulting in wines of beautiful balance and elegance.

Cru chief and winemaker, Geoff ‘Joffa’ Thompson, produces wines with passion and honesty, delivering the vineyard to your table.

Passionate about all things wine, Joffa took the plunge in his late 20’s to change career and follow his dream of becoming a winemaker. Having completed winemaking studies and patiently working his way to Senior Winemaker at a large company, Joffa and his family took the leap in 2013 to launch their own wine business. Their goal was always to create their own brand. After a full distillation and brand build process, Grounded Cru was born.

The name ‘Grounded Cru’ epitomises Joffa’s philosophies. ‘Grounded’ reflects his down to earth nature and the fact that he values relationships (collaborating with growers, etc) and pays attention to the little things; handcrafting his wines. It also carries a link to terroir and the vineyard. ‘Cru’ is a French word meaning ‘growth’. It is also used with terms ‘Grand’ and ‘Premier’ to classify the superior quality of a vineyard. Joffa also likes to think of ‘Cru’ with regards to joining the crew or being part of a group of like-minded people. The Grounded Cru brand features handmade typography and a down to earth (grounded) Australian icon. We think this perfectly tells our unique story.