Awinemaker orvintner is a person engaged inwinemaking. They are generally employed bywineries orwine companies, where their work includes:
Today, these duties require an increasing amount of scientific knowledge, since laboratory tests are gradually supplementing or replacing traditional methods. Winemakers can also be referred to as oenologists as they studyoenology – the science of wine.
A vintner is awinemerchant. In some modern use, particularly inAmerican English, the term is also used as a synonym for "winemaker".[2]
The term started inMiddle English, superseding the earlier termvinter.[2]
Due to the close political and commercial ties betweenBordeaux and England during the 14th and early 15th centuries, vintners were among the more important people inLondon with winemakers being four times mayor of the city under the reign ofEdward II.[2] TheWorshipful Company of Vintners is one of the oldest livery companies in London.[citation needed]
A vigneron is someone who cultivates avineyard for winemaking. The word connotes or emphasizes the critical role that vineyard placement and maintenance has in the production of high-quality wine.[3] The term, French for someone who grows grapes or makes wine,[4] is often used in Australia to describe a winemaker who is also involved as an owner or manager[5][6][7] as opposed to a person who is employed only to make wine, who is generally referred to as a winemaker. It is also used when referring to a winemaker from France.[8][9]
Vincent of Saragossa is thepatron saint of vignerons.[citation needed]
Négociant is theFrench term for awine merchant who assembles the produce of smaller growers and winemakers and sells the result under its own name.[10]
Négociants buy everything fromgrapes to grapemust to wines in various states of completion. In the case of grapes or must, thenégociant performs virtually all thewinemaking. If he buys already fermented wine in barrels oren-vrac—basically in bulk containers, he mayage the wine further, blend in other wines or simply bottle and sell it as is. The result is sold under the name of thenégociant, not the name of the original grape or wine producer.
Somenégociants have a recognizable house style.
Négociants, who are also called wine merchants/traders, were the dominant force in the wine trade until the last 25 years for various reasons:
Manynégociants are also vineyard owners in their own right. InBurgundy for instance,négociants such asBouchard Père et Fils andFaiveley are among the largest owners of vineyards.[10] Well-knownnégociants in Burgundy areMaison Louis Jadot,Joseph Drouhin, andVincent Girardin; in Beaujolais,Georges Duboeuf; in Provence, Mirabeau;[11] and in theRhône region,Guigal,Jaboulet,Jean-Luc Colombo,Chapoutier, andFamille Perrin.
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