La Craffe

A wine story

The name Château de la Craffe is a nod to our Nancy origins;
Charlie and I grew up and studied in Nancy, Lorraine.

La Craffe is first and foremost a gateway:

The Porte de la Craffe is a magnificent historical monument in the heart of old Nancy.

It is also a tribute to the famous, now-defunct Vins de la Craffe, which supplied
millions of hectoliters of table wine to our grandparents throughout northeastern France from 1865 to 1997.

The name "Craffe" given to the old Bordes gate of 1380 (Porte de la Craffe in Nancy) comes either from a Neapolitan gentleman, Caraffa , or from the German word Kraft , fortified gate, or rather - popular term - from architectural details, crampons, staples, holding the stones .

La Porte de la Craffe

The only remaining vestige of Nancy's pre- Vauban fortifications , the Porte de la Craffe was the sole entrance located to the north of the old town of Nancy. Besides its defensive function, it served as a ceremonial gateway for the Dukes of Lorraine until 1610. Throughout its history, it underwent various modifications and restorations.

The Porte de la Craffe has had other names in the past: Porte des Bordes, Porte Notre Dame, or Porte Lescraffe. Jean-Jacques Lionnois wrote that the first name of this gate was Porte de la Garaffa, named after a governor, a Neapolitan gentleman, named de la Casa de Garaffa .

The Wines of La Craffe

From 1865 to 1997

Charles Chardot (1837-1920) opened a grocery store in 1865 at the foot of the Porte de la Craffe in Nancy and quickly specialized in the wholesale wine trade. He managed the business, assisted by his son, Jules Chardot, in 1897. Jules further expanded the business by building new warehouses. At that time, the wine trade was both national and international. In 1920, upon Charles Chardot's death, Jules' sons, Pierre and André Chardot, joined the management and modernized the equipment: a truck, a semi-automatic bottling line, and more. After some difficulties due to the Second World War, the business of Vins de la Craffe grew again and soon needed more space. The closure of the breweries, which had been unable to recover from the economic losses of the war, presented an opportunity for Vins de la Craffe, who decided to relocate there. The deed was signed on November 28, 1949, and the move took place in 1950.

The large vaulted cellars offer an impressive storage space: dozens of casks, tiled concrete tanks… The location is ideal as it is directly connected to the railway, with its adjoining station, and its connection to the canal (pipeline system which goes from the tanks to the barges).

In the 1990s, table wine consumption declined considerably (various government campaigns were launched to reduce alcohol consumption). Competition was fierce, and small shops closed, giving way to large retailers. These factors led to a gradual decline in business for Vins de la Craffe, culminating in its closure in 1997.