Vignerons and Vigneronnes, not Wines

At a certain point, I stopped buying wines and started paying attention to vine growers. In France, a vine grower is called vigneron or vigneronne (female).  I began to realize that an honest and great vigneron always made wines in the way that resonated with me.

When in restaurants in France, I used to order a bottle of wine by the name of the bottle. I noticed the sommeliers said “Oui”.  Then, they always stated the name of vigneron/ vigneronne.  That simple gesture says a lot about the approach to wines.  I now have learned to order by a vigneron or vigneronne, followed by the name of cuvée. 

Above is a photo of the chalk board at Le Chateaubriand in Paris – perhaps, one of the most compelling restaurants in that city.  The chalkboard simply lists all vignerons and vigneronnes - not a single name of bottles is mentioned.

PS: The photo is a courtesy of Bertrand Celce of Wine Terroirs.  I highly recommend the website.