A popular wine shop and deli in Greater Manchester has closed down – but not all is as it seems.
On Monday (January 6), the owners of Grape to Grain, located on Church Lane in Prestwich, would be closing down after eight years in business. Previously nominated at the Manchester Food and Drink Awards, the ‘off-licence with a difference’ sells a range of European wines, as well as cheeses, charcuterie boards and sandwiches.
In a post on Instagram, the shop, which is run by Tom Sneesby, wrote: “You have all, whether you realised it or not, enjoyed your last drink in good ‘ole G2G. Thanks to everyone for 8 phenomenal years, we have made lifelong friends and we will miss you all.”
However, there was a twist to Grape to Grain’s statement with the owners of the Bury town establishment revealing that it is actually set to reopen on Thursday (January 9) under the new name and identity of Whole Bunch Wines.
Speaking about the decision, the post continued: “The truth is we’ve been Grape to Grain for nearly a decade, I’ve gotten a bit bored, we have been planning a refurb this January and if I’m honest things got a bit out of control.
Tom Sneesby, the owner of Grape to Grain in Prestwich
(Image: ABNM Photography)
“We aren’t going to change a huge amount of what we do and how we do it, but with an eye on the NEXT 8 years we are freshening up. We could have just done a rebrand job on G2G…new logo etc, but that’s a bit like only drinking half a bottle of wine…let’s go all the way, open TWO bottles and drunk shop on Amazon.”
Describing the new look as a ‘work in progress’, the shop will reopen on Thursday evening for the first visitors to take a look. A number of loyal customers said they had been fooled by the initial Instagram post.
“Rascals!,” one person wrote, whilst another said: “You had me going! See you soon.” Speaking about the changes, one person said: “Glad you’re not closing! Looking forward to visiting Whole Bunch soon.”
However, some cheekily insisted that the name change might take a little whiel to get used to. One commented: “OK, but much like Kendalls/House of Fraser I shall be referring to you as G2G for quite a while yet.” Another said: “I still call Morrisons- Safeway and starbursts – opal fruits. Will try my best on this one.”
Whole Bunch Wines is on 1 Church Lane, Prestwich, M25 1AN.