Winemaking cooperative

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A winemaking cooperative is an agricultural cooperative which is involved in winemaking, and which in a similar way to other cooperatives is owned by its members. [1] The members in a winemaking cooperative are usually vineyard owners, who deliver grapes to the cooperative, which is involved in production of wine from the grapes and the subsequent marketing activities.

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Winemaking cooperatives are responsible for a significant proportion of the total wine production in many major wine-producing countries, including most of the classical European wine countries, but their importance varies much between different wine regions within these countries. Cooperatives tend to be more important in regions where the wine’s selling price is relatively low and average size of vineyard holdings is small. [1]

While some winemaking cooperatives were established in the 19th century, the majority were established in the early 1930s following the Great Depression.

Advantages to members

The advantage to members of a cooperative, in comparison to pursuing winemaking and marketing on their own, consists in pooling resources and sharing costs for winemaking and marketing, which call for costly equipment and technical expertise. There are also other financial advantages, including certain European Union subsidies for cooperatives located in EU countries. [1]

Wines from cooperatives are often allowed to be described as producer-bottled according to the wine laws of the country in question, which is sometimes an advantage in marketing. The French term corresponding to this is mis(e) en bouteille à la propriété, while the German is Erzeugerabfüllung.

Alternatives available to wine-growers

Producing and marketing wine on their own is usually not a realistic possibility for many vineyard owners with small holdings. However, being a member of a winemaking cooperative is not the only option available. Selling grapes on the open market, entering into long-term contracts with negociants or other winemaking companies and leasing out the vineyard to certain negociants are other options. The relative attractiveness of these options varies greatly between regions. As an example, in regions characterised by constant overproduction of wine, the market price of grapes is often depressed to a very low level, while grapes in Champagne command much higher prices as long as they fulfill some basic criteria.

France

The winemaking cooperative in Maraussan in the Languedoc region is one of France's oldest. Maraussan la cave cooperative.jpg
The winemaking cooperative in Maraussan in the Languedoc region is one of France's oldest.

In France, winemaking cooperatives are typically called caves coopératives, and produce more than half the total amount of French wine. [1] The first winemaking cooperative was established in Alsace in 1895, [2] although at this time Alsace was part of the German Empire rather than France. Members of French winemaking cooperatives own more than half the total French vineyard surface. The caves have their greatest strength on the Vin de pays level, where they are responsible for about three-quarter of the production. They have been involved in the large-scale switch over of the French wine production from the lower Vin de table category to Vin de pays. Many cooperatives also produce an impressive range of Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) wine.

The total number of French winemaking cooperatives was over 850 in the early 2000s, with an average membership of 160 per cooperative in the 1990s. Cooperatives are particularly strong in Languedoc, Roussillon, Rhône, Provence and Corsica. Some of the more notable cooperatives are also found in Alsace and Chablis. [1]

Germany

In Germany, a winemaking cooperative is often called Winzergenossenschaft, but can also be called Winzerverein, Winzervereinigung, Weingärtnergenossenschaft or Weinbauerverband. The earliest German winemaking cooperatives date back to the time before the later association laws were established. A union of winemakers in Neckarsulm in Württemberg pressed grapes and sold the resulting must, and to some extent also wine, cooperatively as early as 1834. Prussia passed an association law (Genossenschaftsgesetz) in 1867, which became law in the entire North German Confederation in 1868. One of the first winemaking cooperatives founded on the basis of this legislation, Winzerverein Mayschoß , was established in 1868 in the Ahr region and is the oldest German winemaking cooperative still in existence. [3] Two thirds of all German vine-growers belong to a cooperative, but because of a dominance of small vineyard holdings and part-time vine growing among these members, their production is slightly less than one-third of the German total. [1] [4] In 2008/2009, there were 209 cooperatives in Germany with a total of 51 000 members and 32,115 hectares (79,360 acres) vineyard surface. [5] There has been a trend to fewer cooperatives (275 existed in 1998/1999) due to fusions.

A special form of winemaking cooperative is the Zentralkellereien, a centralized cooperative found in many German wine regions, where local cooperatives rather than individual growers deliver grapes, grape must or wine. Therefore, of the 209 cooperatives existing in Germany in 2008/2009, only 120 actually produced wine on their own premises. [1] [5]

Cooperatives are particularly important in Württemberg, where they account for 80% of the production (2008), [4] Baden, where they account for 76%, and the smallest German wine regions Ahr, Hessische Bergstrasse, Saale-Unstrut and Saxony.

Southern Europe

In southern Europe, cooperatives are responsible for a large proportion of wine production. Figures of around 60 percent have been quoted for Italy’s cantina sociale and cooperatives in Spain and Portugal. However, in contrast to the situation in France and Germany, a large proportion of cooperative members' wine is not bottled by the cooperative, but instead is sold in bulk for bottling by commercial operators or, especially in the case of Spain, for distillation. [1]

Other countries

In South Africa, KWV (Koöperatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Zuid-Afrika) was originally formed as a winemaking cooperative which also had certain regulatory privileges akin to those of a government agency. However, in 2002, KWV was transformed into a regular commercial company. [6]

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Alsace wine

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Côtes de Toul is an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) for French wine produced in the département of Meurthe-et-Moselle in the Lorraine région. The Côtes de Toul vineyards cover 110 hectares in an area close to Toul, to the west of the city of Nancy. The area of production includes the following communes: Blénod-lès-Toul, Bruley, Bulligny, Charmes-la-Côte, Domgermain, Lucey, Mont-le-Vignoble and Pagney-derrière-Barine. Annual production is 4,500 hectoliter, corresponding to 600,000 bottles.

Swiss wine

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Moselle wine

Moselle wine is produced in three countries along the Moselle river: France, Luxembourg and Germany. Moselle wines are mainly white and are made in some of the coldest climates used for commercial winemaking.

Algerian wine

Algerian wine is wine made in Algeria. While not a significant force on the world's wine market today, Algeria has played an important role in the history of wine. Algeria's viticultural history dates back to its settlement by the Phoenicians and continued under Algeria's rule by the Roman empire. Just prior to the Algerian War of Independence (1954-1962), Algerian wine accounted for nearly two-thirds of the total international wine trade. With as much land under vine as the countries of Germany and South Africa, Algeria continues to maintain a wine industry with over 70 wineries in operation.

Baden (wine region)

Baden is a region (Anbaugebiet) for quality wine in Germany, and is located in the historical region of Baden in southwestern Germany, which today forms part of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg. Under German wine legislation, Baden and Württemberg are separate wine regions.

Ahr (wine region)

Ahr is a wine region (Anbaugebiet) for quality wine in Germany, and is located in the valley of the river Ahr, a tributary of Rhine, and is situated in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. With only 558 hectares of vines as of 2008, it is one of smaller of Germany's 13 regions. Despite its northern location it primarily produces red wines, and red grape varieties account for 86% of the vineyard area, which is more than in any other German wine region.

European Union wine growing zones are used in the common European Union wine regulations to regulate certain aspects of winemaking. The zones differ in terms of climate and examples of what is regulated by wine growing zone are required grape maturity at harvest and allowed levels of chaptalisation. There are 21 wine producing countries in the European Union, with 14 of them having significant levels of production. In the 2004-2005 vintage, total European Union wine production was around 184 million hectoliters which accounted for nearly 70% of total worldwide production. Of that total, nearly 55% was classified as table wine with 4% used in the production of grape-based distilled spirits such as Armagnac and Cognac.

Luxembourg wine

Luxembourg wine is primarily produced in the southeastern part of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, with vineyards overlooking the Moselle River. Along this river, which for 42 km makes up part of the border between Luxembourg and Germany, wine is made in three countries. There is a continuous history of winemaking along Moselle and in Luxembourg going back to Ancient Roman times. Wine production in 2006/07 was 123,652 hectoliter from 1,237 hectares of vineyards. Out of total wine exports of 87,776 hectoliter in 2005/06, 71,726 hectoliter or 82% was exported to nearby Belgium. Exports to Germany were the second largest at 8,168 hectoliter, or 9%, and is to a large extent made up of base wine in bulk for the production of blended Sekt rather than being sold bottled with "Luxembourg" anywhere on the label. Therefore, very little Luxembourg wine is seen outside Luxembourg and Belgium.

Belgian wine

Belgian wine is produced in several parts of Belgium and production, although still modest at 1,400 hectoliters in 2004, has expanded in recent decades.

Hugel & Fils

Hugel & Fils is a winery in Riquewihr, Alsace, France. Hugel & Fils is one of the major producers of Alsace wine, and has been an important force in the Alsace wine industry in its developments during the second half of the 20th century.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Jancis Robinson, ed. (2006). "Co-operatives". Oxford Companion to Wine (Third ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp.  197–198. ISBN   0-19-860990-6.
  2. World Atlas of Wine, 2001 Edition, p. 126
  3. Association of German winemaking cooperatives: Historical overview, accessed on July 2, 2008 (in German)
  4. 1 2 Weinerzeugung insgesamt und genossenschaftlicher Anteil, accessed 2011-01-23 (in German)
  5. 1 2 Entwicklung der Winzergenossenschaften, accessed 2011-01-23 (in German)
  6. Jancis Robinson, ed. (2006). "KWV". Oxford Companion to Wine (Third ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp.  384. ISBN   0-19-860990-6.