Grape & Grain, a new Aberdeen wine bar, has been nominated for an award as Scotland’s most Stylish Bar.
The Scottish Style Awards nomination comes less than six months after Grape & Grain first opened on the city’s Thistle Street following a complete refurbishment and transformation of what was formerly Rosie Thistle’s Tea Room.
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It is the only bar in Aberdeen to be nominated for an award and is named as finalist alongside Bird and Bear, Dundee; Voyage of Buck, Edinburgh and Glasgow’s 158 Club Lounge and The Citizen.
Held in association with Moet & Chandon, the high-profile Scottish Style Awards recognise inspirational individuals and enterprises that enrich society through their distinguished activities in arts and in popular culture. The 10 categories range from most stylish male, female, band or musician to most stylish bar, restaurant, hotel and entertainment venue – described as the cream of the Scottish hospitality sector.
The awards ceremony, hosted by Scottish actor and writer Pollyanna McIntosh, will take place in Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow in March in front of a celebrity-studded VIP audience.
Jeanette Forbes, owner of Grape & Grain, said: “This has been a rollercoaster journey since Grape & Grain opened in September 2017. The team who contribute on a daily basis to making the bar a success have worked incredibly hard and unreservedly deserve this recognition. We are extremely flattered that G&G as newcomer has been recognised by the national awards in a category which celebrates some of the finest venues in Scotland.”
Grape & Grain has enjoyed remarkable success since launch. The venue has become so popular that weekend reservations are recommended with tables on most Friday and Saturday evenings being fully booked.
Jeanette, a well-known city businesswomen and CEO of PCL Group, said Grape & Grain was created in response to being told at the start of the oil and gas downturn that the only way to survive would be through diversification.
“I travel a lot through work and if I’m in other cities, including Glasgow, Edinburgh, London and Hamburg there’s always a good choice of places to meet up with friends or clients apart from hotel bars,” she said.
“The design brief made me think about what Aberdeen means to me and what I look forward to when I come home so I decided I wanted to capture that in a wine bar, something that was stylish, sophisticated and different from anything else on the market.”
The result is a striking new venue, where the highest attention to detail in design and finish, is matched only by the selection behind the bar which specialises in exclusive wines, an extensive selection of Scottish botanical gins and Scottish craft beers as well as local whiskies, vodkas and rum.
“Profiling our tremendous local and Scottish food basket was one of the top objectives when the business plan was discussed,” said Jeanette. “I felt that it was time to profile not only our Scottish beverages but also our cheeses and charcuterie and incorporate into the venue the opportunity to learn about what it is we eat and drink.”
