It is easier to compare the price of a kilo of tomatoes than of different wines. Too many factors affect wine pricing. This is not the only thing that separates viticulture from other agriculture. In the past, it wasn’t like that. Grapes were one crop among many others; wine was something you had with your meal without much ado.
The big difference came later, actually quite recently. Wine became a hobby for many, and a whole industry developed around wine with wine tourism, hotels, restaurants, wine schools, etc. Visiting a vineyard is fun. Visiting a tomato farm is less fun. Who knows which producer has grown the tomatoes you buy? But what wine enthusiast would buy a wine without knowing at least something about where it comes from?
All this interest in wine means that consumers meet more wine producers than other farmers. Is this why organic farming among winegrowers is much bigger than other agriculture? In France, 10.3% of the total agricultural surface is organic. If we only take the vineyard surface, the figure rises to 20%. We see a similar phenomenon for the French sustainability certification HVE (Haute Valeur Environnementale). 70% of the estates that are sustainably certified with HVE are vineyards.
There are probably several different reasons for this. One could be that vineyard estates are often smaller than other agricultural properties. The wine farmer lives close to his vineyard. And wine is not an anonymous product like most other agricultural products. You know who made the wine. The vigneron has put their name on the label. And it may be that it is easier to increase the price of a bottle of wine, if necessary, than a kilo of tomatoes.
And, quite possibly, the producers become extra motivated to prove themselves sustainable when they know that an inquisitive wine enthusiast can show up at the doorstep anytime.
When was the last time you met a wine grower?
If instead you want to meet a wine grower and winemaker, then there is no better way than to join us at BKWine on one of our wine tours. All wine tours are here: bkwinetours.com.
Go on a wine and adventure tour this winter
Now, when the world has (more or less) come back to “normal”, we have three fantastic wine adventures to offer you for this coming winter (and to escape winter):
- Chile-Argentina in January
- South Africa in February
- New Zealand in March
These are tours with unique and magnificent experiences.
More info on our wine tours here. “World’s Top Wine Tours”.
Enjoy the Brief!
Britt & Per
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What’s on at BKWine Tours
BKWine is also one of the world’s leading wine tour operators. Here’s what we currently have on our scheduled wine tour program:
- Chile-Argentina, January 16-29, 2023 – BOOK NOW
- South Africa, February 8-18, 2023 – BOOK NOW
- New Zealand, March 15-30, 2023 – BOOK NOW
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- Bordeaux and Champagne, Sept 27 – Oct 5, 2023
We also make custom designed wine tours.
We’re different than most other wine tour operators. We are people who know wine inside out, who travel constantly in wine regions, who write award winning books about wine. Who do this out of passion. Our tours are different from others. More in wine tours: BKWineTours.com.
