🍷 Wine cooperative

A wine cooperative is an association of small growers who make and sell wine together. Each member brings grapes to the shared winery and receives payment or a share of the wine. The name varies: in France it is a "cave coopérative", in Italy a "cantina sociale", in Germany a "Winzergenossenschaft". The idea is simple. A small farm finds it hard to buy expensive equipment: presses, tanks, bottling lines. Together it is cheaper. The cooperative hires specialists, sets up a common brand and finds buyers. The grower can concentrate on the vine. As a result small growers gain access to a market they would not otherwise have. Cooperatives are very common in Europe. They produce a considerable share of wine in several areas of France, Italy, Germany and Spain. The main drawback: the wish to earn more can push towards a big crop instead of high quality, so the best cooperatives introduce payment by grape quality. In a cooperative, growers do the work, so their discipline matters. Good cooperatives make decent wines at an affordable price.