Who produces the wine?

Producing wine involves two activities: viticulture and vinification. These two activities are not always carried out by the same person. In the past, it was very common for the winegrower to sell all the grapes or the wine just after alcoholic fermentation, while the négociants or caves coopératives were responsible for vinification and/or blending and ageing.

Viticulturist and winemaker

Viticulteur and vigneron are not synonyms. Explanations and details of these 2 professions.

The viticulturist

The viticulturist is the person who cultivates the vine. His work is limited to producing and harvesting grapes. He doesn't make wine, which is done by another entity: a cooperative winery, a wine merchant or a winegrower.

The winemaker

The winegrower manages all stages from viticulture to marketing. They are therefore involved in winegrowing: viticulture and vinification. Some winegrowers may also, as in Champagne, deliver part of their production and vinify the rest.

In recent years, there has been a movement to encourage the younger generations who take over a winegrowing estate to transform it into a winegrowing estate in order to make better use of their production.

Cooperative wineries and wine merchants

A Cave Coopérative is an agricultural cooperative governed by the French Rural Code. It operates on the following model:

• Winegrowers who sell their grapes are members of the Cave Coopérative.
• The president and directors are also members.
• However, administrative and sales staff, oenologists and vineyard technicians are not necessarily members.

Another peculiarity is that the cooperative cannot refuse to buy grapes from a member, but can vary the price according to quality.

Merchants can be of two different types: handlers or breeders.

• The first is a merchant who buys the grapes, must or wine and ensures their champagnization, as in champagne, and/or marketing.
• The latter handles part of the wine-making process, including blending, ageing, bottling and marketing.