Across both boutique vineyards and France’s most established wine regions, winegrowers are pooling their skills and resources to safeguard their careers and ensure the long-term sustainability of their estates. Whether through associations, agricultural equipment co-operatives or shared winemaking facilities, these collaborative models are emerging as powerful drivers for future-proofing the industry.
Contents:
- A united front in isolated areas
- A flexible model
- Strength in numbers
- A shield against adversity
- A safety net and a shared resource
- When a winery becomes a talent incubator
- Shared beliefs
A united front in isolated areas
Beyond France’s major wine regions, vine growing is rarely a solitary endeavour. At the end of 2024, a dozen winegrowers in southern Aveyron and Cantal founded the Contre-Pente association, officially presented to the media in January. “We work in isolated rural areas where some farming practices border on obsolescence and where vine growing has never been deeply rooted”, explains Pauline Broqua, a winegrower at Domaine des Buis in Entraygues-sur-Truyère. What unites the group is “a vision of the countryside grounded in respect for life using natural winemaking practices with no inputs – or as few as possible”. Yet they struggled to find an existing framework that truly reflected their identity. “Neither appellations nor organic farming were able to fully express our ethos”.
A flexible model
The situation was further compounded by a series of adverse events: frost in 2019 and 2021, mildew in 2023 and black frost in 2024. “As hazardous weather became more frequent and the geopolitical climate added further pressure on our farms, it became clear that we needed to act collectively”. While remaining fairly loose-knit, the group adheres to “a flexible charter built around broad guiding principles, such as prioritising manual labour and manageably-sized farms”. Contre-Pente has already implemented several practical tools: a collective label designed to feed an emergency fund for a rainy day, a shared customer database and coordinated communications including a common logo on bottles and collective stands at local events.
Strength in numbers
“By standing together, we can promote a coherent narrative. Each of us can speak about our wines but also about those of our fellow winegrowers without diluting the identity of individual estates. This enhances visibility and makes us stronger”. The rationale is pragmatic: “Harvest losses make it difficult to guarantee consistent volumes in the market”. Until recently, mutual support remained informal – today, it is becoming more structured, ensuring that customers can always find wines from Aveyron or Cantal in their cellars. “It would be misleading to claim that the association has suddenly led to pallets of wine flying out the door”. Yet the benefits extend beyond sales: “Talking about money, setbacks or doubts is never easy. Here, there is no judgment and no exclusion”.
A shield against adversity
In the Loire Valley, three major frost episodes in five years prompted around fifteen winegrowers to join forces within the Bourgueil Viti Antigel agricultural equipment co-operative (Cuma). “Several of us farm in areas with tremendous quality potential, but they are also among the most frost-prone. Often, the next generation is lined up to take over the property, so we needed a long-term solution”, explains Michel Delanoue, chairman of the co-operative and winegrower at Domaine de la Noiraie. Since 2023, 55 hectares have been protected using targeted sprinkler systems and fixed anti-frost towers.
A safety net and a shared resource
The €800,000 investment – financed through a twenty-year loan – would have been unthinkable on an individual basis, particularly given the fragmented layout of the vineyard blocks. “You need a structured group to approach a bank with this type of project. A young winegrower on their own – however motivated – would struggle to be heard. As a co-operative, we also qualify for grants covering 35% of the total cost”. Yet the Cuma is more than a stock of shared equipment – it also serves as a social safety net. “We are colleagues more than competitors. Sharing experience fosters healthy competition and leaves no room for the idea of survival of the fittest”, adds Delanoue, who established his first Cuma in 1985, at just 24 years old, to purchase a grape harvester.
When a winery becomes a talent incubator
In Aubignan, Vaucluse, collaboration takes on yet another dimension. Since 2010, Laurent Cornud has welcomed around twenty local winegrowers into his winery. “This isn’t a place where you simply drop off your grapes and return later to collect finished wine. I need to visit the vineyards, talk with the winegrowers and understand their vision and their quality objectives”, explains Cornud, a winemaker who also heads LC Vini-Service. Here, every winegrower retains full control of their project while sharing space by renting tanks on an annual basis – renewable or not – backed by an employers’ group. “I recruit, train and coordinate the teams, which guarantees rigour and consistency. If every winegrower intervened independently, they would all want to carry out pump-overs at the same time, which would mean more pumps and equipment. And we would simply end up recreating a conventional winery”.
Shared beliefs
Pooling resources helps reduce costs and mitigate financial risk. Laurent Cornud points to the example of a young winegrower who still belongs to a co-operative winery while producing small batches on site: he tests the market and is considering scaling up before, perhaps, building his own facilities. The winery also fulfils an educational role. “Some winegrowers come here without even basic knowledge of winemaking. They are welcome to taste wines, exchange ideas and better understand technical choices”. Cornud has also met with struggling winegrowers. “We look for solutions together – sometimes beyond the winery itself – to ensure their business remains viable”. Whether the challenge is frost protection, market access or winemaking itself, the underlying motivation remains the same. As Pauline Broqua concludes: “Only collective responses can meet today’s crises”.
By Florence Jaroniak © Union Contre-Pente