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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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