Winegrowers, Harvesters, Traders, Oenologists... Who does what?

In the Wine World, many terms referring to wine producers can be used. But if it is easy to confuse the winegrower, the winemaker, the harvester and the oenologist, the distinction is no less important!

The Winegrower

Literally, the winegrower is the person in charge of the cultivation of the vine.
The Winegrower is not necessarily a "vigneron": some farms sell their production (in the form of grapes or unfermented juice) to other companies (known as "de Négoce") that produce the wine.

Winegrowers, Harvesters or Traders?

By definition, the word winemaker refers to the person who cultivates the vine and makes wine.
However, the term is rarely used in its literal sense, and refers to both activities, where the definition combines the two activities.
Not all people designated as "winemakers" are therefore necessarily wine producers: some sell their harvests to other professional wine producers.

Le Vigneron Récoltant to define the winegrower who cultivates his vine and produces a wine from his own grapes, grown on his own land.

The wine merchant producer (who should therefore no longer be called a "vigneron") buys grapes/juice from other winegrowers to produce his wines.
A doubt about your producer's activity? You can refer to the indication "N" for "Negociant" and "R" for "Harvester" on the Capsule Representing Rights (the famous Marianne) affixed to the cork of your bottle.

The Oenologist

By definition, the oenologist is the person who specialises in oenology, i.e. the study of techniques for making, preserving and tasting wines.

Most oenologists work on behalf of different estates, and bring their know-how and advice to the production of wine.
Thus, the oenologist generally masters a very wide range of winemaking techniques, from the pressing of the grapes to bottling, through the various fermentations and maturing.
The talent of the oenologist lies in his ability to extract the best from the raw material at his disposal: he must know how to make good wine even in bad vintages, and great wine in good vintages!