It is vital for all wine producers today to think strategically and to adapt to the circumstances. It is important not least for a cooperative, but with many members who need to be persuaded, changes can be difficult to implement.
However, the cooperative Les Vignerons de Berticot Graman with vineyards in Bergerac and Duras in the French Southwest seems to be doing well. The changes started with the realization that red grapes, especially merlot, dominate a bit too much their vineyards. Increasingly, customers want white wines and more variety among the reds.
The cooperative’s new strategy is fewer red grapes, less merlot and more white grape varieties. Today, members are also awarded if they plant grapes that are atypical of the region. It can be marselan, arinarnoa, petit verdot, malbec, vidoc (fungus-resistant), syrah, chenin, sauvignon gris, floréal (fungus-resistant), colombard.
While waiting for these vines to grow up, the cooperative offers popular rosé wines and still and sparkling blanc de noir (white wine made from red grapes). A new and important source of income is the selling of base wines for sparkling wines in bulk.
In 2022, only 53% of their red grapes were vinified into red wines. The bulk market has a high demand for sparkling base wine (vin clair) and is much more profitable for the cooperative than selling red wine.
A bit sad but, as we said, it is better to adapt and survive.
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