From day one, we have had one goal: to celebrate those who make wine. On our website and social media, we like to give a voice to these passionate individuals, introduce lesser-known estates, and tell the story behind a great vintage.

But this also and above all requires a strong commitment: paying winegrowers a fair price for their work. Here's why and how we're taking concrete action.

Let's start at the beginning: how are the winegrowers paid?

Let's state the obvious: winemakers' income comes primarily from the sale of their juice in bulk and from the sale of their bottles :). They also rely on cellar door sales and wine tourism to profit from their estates (visits, tastings, etc.).

To sell his bottles, a winemaker generally has two options: he can welcome his customers directly to his estate (or create his own website to sell his wines online), or go through intermediaries .

Intermediaries include all businesses that sell wine: wine shops, grocery stores, supermarkets, but also wholesalers and e-commerce sites. These partners allow winemakers to reach a wider customer base by going directly to customers where they shop. In return, these intermediaries take a commission on the sale of the bottle or a margin on its resale.

Why are some winegrowers seeing their profit margins drop drastically?

In recent years, many winegrowers have had to reduce their yields . Sometimes voluntarily, by adopting reasoned and environmentally friendly production methods; often against their will, due to climatic hazards that weaken vineyards (example: dramatic frost episode in April 2021) and diseases that affect the vines.

Meanwhile, operating costs are increasing : raw materials, energy, the price of glass, paper, cardboard, transport... all these expenses, if not passed on to the selling price of the bottles, reduce the winemaker's margin.

Result: If they wish to reach a large number of customers, winemakers are therefore forced to use the right intermediaries.

But then, how do they do it?

It is to solve this problem that we created Les Grappes. From day one, our mission has been clear: to allow everyone to buy wine directly from winegrowers, and to value the men and women who are behind the bottles.

By creating Les Grappes, we wanted to simplify distribution for winemakers and allow them to reach a vast community of customers (individuals, restaurant professionals, wine merchants, etc.) throughout France and the world. And all this without them having to compromise on their profit margin.

This involves building a transparent and fair compensation model that allows winemakers to set their own prices and be paid fairly for their work. When you buy a bottle from Les Grappes, 70% of the price goes to the winemaker. That's more than the market average of 50%.

And because we work directly with the winemakers, we avoid unnecessary costs, which allows us to maintain affordable prices for high-quality wines. Everyone benefits!

Why it is essential to pay our winegrowers better

At Les Grappes, we are committed to showcasing winegrowers: they are farmers but also true artisans, who control their production chain from A to Z.

We believe in a consumption model that allows everyone to access quality products, under the best conditions for those who produce them and for the planet. It is with this in mind that we obtained the B Corp label in 2018, which recognizes companies that are virtuous in their social and environmental impact.

This model is not possible without a fair and respectful remuneration system for producers, allowing them to work as they see fit, to adapt their means of production to the challenges of recent years and to look towards the future.

By buying your wine with Les Grappes, you are providing concrete support to winegrowers and a fairer consumption model.

Would you like to discover our winemakers and their fantastic wines? Visit our website .