Why Les Grappes is committed to a fair remuneration for winegrowers

Since day one, we have had one objective: to promote the people who make wine. On our website or our social networks, we like to give a voice to these passionate people, to discover unknown estates, to tell the little story behind a great wine.

But this also and above all involves a strong commitment: to pay the winegrowers the fair value of their work. Here is why and how we do it.

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

Let's take the risk of pushing open doors: the income of the winegrowers comes mainly from the sale of their juice in bulk and the sale of their bottles :). They also rely on the sale of their wines in the cellar and on wine tourism to take advantage of their domain (visits, tastings...).

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

The intermediaries are all the businesses that sell wine: wine merchants, grocery stores, supermarkets, but also wholesalers and e-commerce sites... These partners allow the winemakers to reach a wider clientele, by going to find the customers directly where they do their shopping. In return, these intermediaries reserve a commission on the sale of the bottle or a margin on its resale.

Why some winemakers see their margin drop drastically

In recent years, many winemakers have had to reduce their yields. Sometimes voluntarily, by adopting reasoned and respectful production methods; often in spite of themselves, because of climatic hazards that weaken the vineyards (example: dramatic frost episode in April 2021) and diseases that affect the vines.

At the same time, operating costs are increasing: raw materials, energy, the price of glass, paper, cardboard, transport... all these expenses, if not passed on to the sale price of the bottles, reduce the winegrower's margin.

Result : If they wish to reach a large number of customers, the winegrowers 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 in a short circuit from winemakers, and to value the men and women behind the bottles.

By creating Les Grappes, we wanted to simplify the distribution of winegrowers and allow them to reach a vast community of customers (individuals, restaurant professionals, wine shops...), throughout France and the world. And this, without them having to compromise on their margins.

This requires the construction of a transparent and fair remuneration model, which allows the winegrowers to set their prices as they see fit and to be remunerated for the fair value of their work. When you buy a bottle with Les Grappes, 70% of the price is paid to the winemaker. This is more than the market average, which is 50%.

And since we work directly with the winemakers, we avoid unnecessary costs, which allows us to maintain affordable prices for high quality vintages. It's a win-win situation!

Why it is essential to better pay our winemakers

At Les Grappes, we are committed to highlighting the value of winegrowers: they are farmers but also true craftsmen, who control their production chain from A to Z.

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

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

By buying your wine with Les Grappes, you concretely support the winegrowers and a more equitable consumption model.

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