The Range of French Wine
The scale of French wine
Regulating French Wine
Appellation d'Origine Controlee (AOC)
Vins Delimites de Qualite Superieure (VDQS)
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Reading a French Wine Label
The Wine Trade In France
The Language Of France
The Essentials Of France
Cities
The Cooperatives
The Negociants

Winemaking cooperatives, owned by the growers, provide small growers with wine-making and marketing facilities. They date from the first decades of this century, when low prices were forcing vignerons from the land. Some co-ops have retained the basic wine-making standards of a generation ago; others have invested in modern equipment and even in oak barrels for ageing.

The best co-ops make it worth growers' while to produce good--quality grapes of classic varieties by paying a premium. Some co-ops even fly in Australian winemakers to advise on the vintage: Australia picks its grapes in February and March, so they are free to work in France in September and October. Those co-ops with a modern approach to winemaking and marketing are an excellent source of good-value wine.

 
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