When cooperative wineries open up to the world: the winning bet of wine tourism

©Calice Hospitality and Wines

Long discreet and sometimes poorly perceived, wine cooperatives are reinventing their image by focusing on hospitality, culture, and experience. A revolution with a collective face.

They represent nearly 50% of French wine production , irrigate the territories, ensure the maintenance of agricultural activity in sometimes fragile rural areas... And yet, cooperative wineries still too often suffer from an image deficit . Too often associated with a logic of volume, too little identified as places of excellence or heritage, they struggle to assert their strategic role in the rise in quality of the French wine industry. Faced with this observation, wine tourism is becoming a lever for silent but powerful transformation .

Because if there is one area where cooperative wineries can reinvent themselves, it is that of direct contact with the public . In recent years, a shift has begun. All over France, cooperative wineries are investing in their reception areas, creating immersive experiences , promoting their collective expertise and developing a renewed discourse . Far from the standardized visit, they now tell a story. That of a territory, of a community of winegrowers, of a shared project. And that changes everything.

Rehabilitating an image that is still too vague

A study published in May 2024 by La Coopération Agricole – Vignerons Coopérateurs and the French Institute of Vine and Wine shows that 72% of French people recognize the essential role of cooperative wineries in the regions , but only 34% associate their wines with quality production. This gap reveals a lack of symbolic and identity recognition. It is no longer just a question of promoting their economic weight, but of repositioning their image in a world where perception, narration and emotion count as much as the contents of the glass.

This observation is shared by many tourist offices: cooperatives remain relatively invisible in traditional wine tourism itineraries , even though they often have territorial reach, a diversity of product ranges and robust reception infrastructures. For Marie Rivals, promotion officer for the wine tourism sector at the Aix-en-Provence Tourist Office, "the challenge now is to make this rise in quality visible."

Massive investments, a deliberate move upmarket

Over the past ten years, cooperatives have been undergoing a profound transformation. More than 150 cooperative wineries have created or renovated their reception areas between 2015 and 2023 , in a context of mergers, restructuring and regional pooling . At the same time, nearly 60% of them have launched a premium range or focused on plot-based winemaking , incorporating certifications such as HVE, organic, or Sustainable Development Winegrowers .

The Cellier Marius Caïus , in Pourrières in the Var , perfectly embodies this shift. Since 2017, this cooperative has undertaken a quality improvement strategy based on several pillars: renovation of the production tool , enhancement of the architectural heritage and redesign of the brand. It is continuing this dynamic with the support of CALICE Hospitality and Wines by transforming an old farm that it owns into a place of experience, meeting and shared development. into a place of experience, meeting and shared development .

The same dynamic is evident at Maison Sinnae in the Gard region, where the site renovation was accompanied by a complete rebranding integrating design, signage, brand messaging and content creation around cooperative values. Les Vignerons du Mont Ventoux , in the Vaucluse region, have focused on a warm and immersive welcome , integrated into the local fabric: renovated boutique, walk through the vineyards, highlighting the cooperators. In the Mâconnais region , the Vignerons des Terres Secrètes cooperative is based on a strong heritage strategy: promoting Climats, immersive scenography and hosting cultural events . In the heart of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez , Les Vignerons de Grimaud have created a modern sales outlet with a new tasting area. Finally, the Vignerons Ardéchois have structured their image policy around a "Néovinum" wine tourism space , combining immersive scenography, modern design and occasional cultural programming, in a deliberate desire to create a dialogue between terroir, innovation and artistic expression .

Wine tourism: a strategic tool for reconnecting with the public

What these cooperatives have understood is that wine tourism is not just a direct sales channel, but a tool for identity transformation . By welcoming visitors, they are not just selling a wine, but a story, a collective, an approach. Complementary to the relationship with the winemaker-owner, the cooperative model becomes a plural story , anchored in a territory, nourished by commitments, open. This strategy can also allow for a change in the generation of customers . Young audiences, especially locals, find in these places a new way of learning about wine .

Powerful values, still under-exploited

The cooperative model has many advantages: solidarity between winegrowers, shared investments, democratic governance, local roots, pooling of skills, and affordable prices . These are values that resonate strongly with the expectations of today's society. However, these dimensions are still too often suggested, and are rarely fully implemented in reception areas.

The challenge for tomorrow is therefore to recount the very foundations of cooperation , without seeking to mimic the codes of the private sector, but by asserting a specific path. A path where the collective becomes identity, where transmission becomes a territory of innovation, where hospitality becomes pride.

Cooperative wineries are entering a new era. By opening their doors, investing in the experience, and embracing their values, they are building a new relationship with the public. They are moving from a logic of discretion to a dynamic of expression. And in a world where authenticity and meaning have become major criteria for membership, this can change everything.

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