The Great Wine Co-Ops???

Inspired by the jabber on the Produttori thread, and specifically the comment that Dale made about his favorite co-ops, I thought this would be an interseting thread on its own.

Co-op wines usually get pretty short shrift and upturned noses among the wine cognoscenti. But every rule has an exception (or four...or five) and there are some co-ops around the world that do an exceptional job of making wine...and sometimes actually serving as a base point for the quality and style of a region. Plus, they are often---but not always---bargains within their category.

I have some personal favorite co-ops but I'm interested in what the others think.

So Produttori was mentioned, and rightly so. Also Domaine Wachau, rightly so.

I'd add the St. Michael Eppan/Sanct Valentin co-op up in Trentino-Alto Adige, without hesitation.

Any other contenduhs?

[David M. Bueker]

I am not sure I am going to get this name right, but didn't the Cave Tain d'Hermitage do some decent stuff?

I'd add the Sanct Valentin co-op up in Trentino-Alto Adige, without hesitation.
?

That's a new one to me, will keep an eye open.

Of the co-ops I've tasted lots of wines from, as noted Produttori del Barbaresco edges Domane Wachau as my favorite. Both are consistently good, occasionally great, and generally well priced.

Next level to me would be La Chablisienne and Cave de Tain l'Hermitage. They both make some very good wines, but lack the consistency of the others.
Next level down would be things like Terre di Barolo and Nicolas Feuillatte = sometimes decent values, but seldom/never a "wow."

There are many many co-ops I have no experience with, but those spring to mind first

EDITED for pesky spelling (damn gender)

At a simple lunch place in Piedmont we had a Terre di Barolo from a bag in box that was quite decent.

If you are ever in Bordeaux you will find an excellent coop in St. Emilion (Union de Producteurs de St.-Emilion), it's down at the bottom of the hill below the town, a first rate operation. There is also a very nice coop in Bourg (Cave de Bourg-Tauriac) on the main road just north of Bourg (right bank). They will open any bottle in the store for you to taste (if it's not already open). Both are very accommodating with tasty and correct wines.
On my trip to the southern Rhone my first stop would be the local coop, where I could taste the local fare and gets suggestions on who else to visit.
I would definitely recommend La Chablisienne. They have a very modern tasting room and are recognized as a top notch coop, with all the grand crus and lots of very nice 1st crus too.

Drank rosé from a Co-op in Visan, whilst eating pizza in Ste. Cécile-Les-Vignes (at Angélus) that was just perfect. Really important wine--must have sold for the equivalent of --maybe six bucks?

I think all the coops that I know I like are coops are in the Alto Adige/Trentino region of northeastern Italy:

Kellerei/Cantina Terlan
St. Michael Eppan
Kellerei/Cantina Tramin
Schreckbichl/Colterenzio

Just look what is happening in Southern Italy, as the co-ops “modernize” the quality of the wines go up. In the past the co-ops produced wines to be sold in bulk, shipped up to Northern Italy and France to be blended. Back then they focused on quantity and not quality. Just take in as many grapes as the members could bring in (not worrying about the quality of the fruit) and produce as much bulk wine as you can. Today co-ops are run more like custom crush facilities; not only do they produce the wine they also bottle it and sell it under their own labels. Now there is a lot more at stake, and a great deal of the co-ops are now focusing more on quality.

Salute

Pfaffenheim in Alsace. Pinot Gris seems to be their best effort in my opinion.

two coops that impress me are: Vignerons de Caractere in the southern rhone; and one in alsace whose main label i believe is Jean Geiler. maybe memory fails me on this later.

two coops that impress me are: Vignerons de Caractere in the southern rhone; and one in alsace whose main label i believe is Jean Geiler. maybe memory fails me on this later.

Happy to hear that, David, as I visited Caractere last summer whilst I was in the Rhone (as well as the previously mentioned Tain co-op!), and I was impressed with both their wines and their facility.

so, one obvious question is why, after years of underperformance, do coops now represent real value and quality? could it be because they are hiring adept young graduates of the various enology programs around the country? that would be my guess. in fact wineries all over france are making wines that are less rustic and off while still making typical wines for their area. is it because these same graduates are getting jobs in wineries at all levels and influencing the technical and cleanliness aspects but not the style?

With the understanding that it's not just France we're talking about (Austria and Italy have also been mentioned), I think you've already largely answered your question, David.

Yes, the winemakers are better trained and educated these days, without a doubt. And, yes, this would likely lead to more "by the book" winemaking---at least, initially, although I've seen even the graduates of the squeaky clean schools blossom into their own styles after a few years of getting out of school and working in the real world.

But I also believe all boats have been lifted on a tide here. Growers are getting better too. And the technology has improved tremendously. With any technology, the first wave is the most expensive, and only the richer winery operations could afford that; now, most co-ops have at least the opportunity to be modernized, even if they don't take those opportunities.

And I'd factor in competition as well. It's not enough anymore in a competitive environment to do the same old 'barely good enough to get by' production model. That's a great model for eventual failure. At Caractere, for instance, as well as the co-op in Beaumes-de-Venise I visited, they work very hard at producing both tiers: the average for the inexpensive box wines the locals and casual wine drinkers prefer, and the better made bottles the wine lovers prefer.

Unlike some of the puristas, I think a good winery CAN do both.

You would be amazed at how much wine these coops produce. When we were in Bourg (Cave du Bourg-Tauriac) I asked the matron how many cases they produced annually and she replied that she could not tell me, because so much was shipped in bulk. We did the math, and it was an ungodly number. So much go to Canada in bulk, to be bottles and labeled and "Aged in Canada". But the driving force behind the coop movement is the gorilla in the room, COMPETITION. Most coops are now paying based on ripeness, not volume. They all want their wine to be "first rate" and many are bottling single vineyard and special cuvee wines. When you see a wine producer "Cave de __________" you are dealing with a coop, and this is not a bad thing. Wine is a way of life, almost a religion, in Europe (France particularly) and it shows in their coop efforts.

For some wine growing regions co-op wines’ would be the only source in which the “outside” world would even recognize the region. In the beginning especially when it comes to the much “older” established “co-ops”, they were probably not only focused on wine production but other agricultural products that the region produced enough of to send to “outside” markets. We are calling them “wine co-op” but initially they were more like “farm estates” or “farm communes”, which over a period of time they “specialized” and focused on wine production. For some of them especially some of the “poorer” areas they are only beginning to “specialize”.

Salute

I might add Sardinia's Cantina Santadi. "Terre Brune," a Carignano di Sulcis IIRC, is their heavy hitter, but they have a few lower tier bottlings that I've enjoyed quite a bit.

At a simple lunch place in Piedmont we had a Terre di Barolo from a bag in box that was quite decent.

Oswaldo,

Would that we could find more wines like the Terre di Barolo BIB here in the USA. I started in 2009 drinking the Alain Jaume Grand Venur CdR red from a BIB, and it is a knockout. Of course, it is the same wine as in bottle, but the bottle is 2x the price. As goes 2007 from the Rhone, or almost anywhere in the south, I would buy almost any BIB and know full well I am getting a bargain. Another red that I will buy whenever I can find is the Cuvée de Peña Red from the Roussillon region of Southern France. I find that I can keep it cool in the basement and draw off 750ml from the box, and it will keep for at least a month, and by then the box is empty.

Coming late to the party, I'll just note that, in addition to the many worthy suggestions made so far, there's also the Vignerons d'Estezargues, a co-op in the S. Rhone that is responsible for the excellent Domaine d'Andezon CdRs as well as several other excellent QPR wines.

Mark Lipton