Working together

Although we are well familiar with the concept of agricultural co-ops in Canada, we have yet to see its impact on smaller Canadian wine producers.

In Europe, wine cooperatives are fully owned and operated by the vineyard owners who bring their fruit to the co-op for processing. Everything is shared— from machinery to wine storage to bottle plant and marketing. (This “cooperative” idea likely had its genesis long ago, when the village gristmill would grind the wheat from fields ploughed by a communal team of oxen.) The first of these wine cooperatives did not appear until the 1900s and were really established during the worldwide great depression of the 1930s. These groups originated because it was not fiscally prudent for one winemaker to grow grapes, make wine, and then market the product.

There are currently fewer than 900 wine cooperatives in France, mostly found along the Mediterranean and on the island of Corsica. (There are some notable cooperatives in Alsace and the Chablis regions, however.) The words “Tous pour chacun, chacun pour tous” are inscribed above the door on many of these cooperative wineries. With an average membership of 160 winemakers, they can link the price of their resource (grapes) to the price of the finished product (wine)— avoiding the fluctuation of prices in what would otherwise be two separate markets. (This concept seems to be lost on Canadian exporters of raw materials.) Cooperatives currently produce almost half of French wine, especially in the production of the regional “Vin du pays”.

I have seen a lot of busy activity in County wineries over the last few weeks. And, although I simply love the diversity of wines and flavour profiles produced by independent artisans, I can’t help wonder if they wouldn’t benefit from sharing tractors, sprayers, crushers, etc.—maybe even creating a communal storage site. These costs make Ontario winemaking a daunting venture that is expensive, both to produce and to purchase.

On the other hand, we do produce sublime wines here in the County.

Thanksgiving is fast approaching and the gathering of families, friends and loved ones take on a special meaning. It is a holiday where we can come together without the added pressure to exchange or give gifts. Thanksgiving is about family. Mum’s special method to roast the bird and dinner with all the trimmings.

If wine is part of your celebration, a County Riesling, Gamay Noir or Pinot Noir will do justice to the meal.

This is also a time when the demand on our local foodbanks is high. In keeping with the spirit of Thanksgiving, I encourage each and everyone to share and donate according to your means, so we can all celebrate Thanksgiving.