What is a courtier in wine?

What is a courtier in wine?

Term for the French brokers who act as a link between the vignerons (wine growers) and the négociants (traders). They taste the wines and select those that meet the requirements of specific buyers.

Who are the négociants?

Traditionally, négociants were merchants who didn’t own or farm vineyards. They bought wines from small farmers and then blended, matured and sold them under their own names. Until the 1970s, this was the principal business model of Burgundy, and it often represented the only route to market for peasant growers.

What is La Place de Bordeaux?

La Place de Bordeaux is a historic marketplace made up of a collection of around 300 négociants, or wine distributors, who sell two-thirds of all wine produced in Bordeaux direct to buyers from around the world.

How is Bordeaux wine sold?

All the top Bordeaux wine producers sell their wines En Primeur. In fact, they sell the majority of the wine En Primeur, which is also known as futures. That means the wines are sold in barrel, several months after the harvest and long before the wines are available in bottle.

How do wine allocations work?

The world of wine allocations — in which select quantities of limited-availability wines are offered only to particular restaurant and retail clients by local distributors — is often a competitive one. Simultaneously, more retailers were offered increased quantities or new access to these same wines.

What is a négociant in France?

Négociant means trader in French. A wine négociant is a wine trader, then. Also known as a wine merchant. They buy grapes, grape juice, or fermented wine from growers and vineyards. The wine industry deeply respects growers.

Why is Bordeaux wine the best?

Of course, one of the key reasons why Bordeaux is so prized around the world is due to its aging potential. All of the red wines of Bordeaux will be aged in traditional barrels before bottling, but thanks to the emphasis on the tannic Cabernet Sauvignon grape, they are perfect for aging in the bottle.

Is Louis Jadot a négociant?

The wines of Louis Jadot, Burgundy. Among the leading negociant firms in Burgundy, Jadot currently occupies pole position. As well as buying in grapes, they own some 50 ha of Pinot Noir vineyards, 20 ha of Chardonnay and also the large 27 ha Château des Jacques estate in Beaujolais.

What is a négociant in wine?

Simply put, a négoce (otherwise known as a négociant or micro-négoce, if smaller) is a wine merchant who purchases grapes, juice, or finished wines and vinifies/bottles them under their own name.