A bit of history

The Cave des Producteurs de Vouvray was created in 1953, at the initiative of a small group of wine growers. The initial project was to pool their resources and create a production tool able to make wines in sufficient volume to penetrate new markets, at the same time preserving a high level of quality wich was essential to the commercial development of Vouvray wines, and more particularly the sparkling wines.

More than fifty years later, the adventure continues with 40 wine growers, who work together 450 ha of vineyards, distributed over the whole Vouvray Appellation area.

As of the constitution of the first statues, the vine growers imagined an original system of contribution and operation. The member vine growers are responsible for the grape harvest, the pressing and also the wine making. They undertake to be able to deliver a minimum of 50% of their production in still wines and basic wines for the production of " Vouvray fine bubbles". A part of this volume can be delivered as most, immediadely after the harvest, and will be vinified at the Cave des Producteurs cellars. Nowadays this  contribution system has proved its worth and still functions.

Only the wines selected by our wine-oenology manager (and approved par the A.O.C.) can be accepted. She will go to each member wine grower to make a choice guided mainly by tasting.
Once the selection has been made, the wines are collected and brought to our winery, where they will be filtered and assembled to constitute the "cuvées" of the Cave des Producteurs de Vouvray. 

Many evolutions have appeared in the past twenty years, aimed at improving the quality of our wines even more:
- Setting up a reasoned fight against diseases in the vineyard.
- Monitoring the members vineyards by a commission which audits each vine grower, making sure of equipment conformity to our quality requirements.
- Monitoring the vineyard by a wine-oenology technician, who each week transmits to our vine growers a report on the evolution of the vine, its healt condition, and the progress of wine maturity.
- Evaluation by a tasting commitee, of selected wines aimed at better remuneration for the best wines.

The Tasting Commitee:
All the selected wines are submitted to the Tasting Commitee, whose role is to validate the choices made by the Cave des Producteurs and to develop the best wines.The wines previously made anonimous will be tasted and then scored by each taster. The alloted average note will determine the purchase price to the vine grower.

Controlling the maturity:
Density measurement with the "refractometer".
This measurement makes it possible to evaluate the maturity of the grapes by the sugar contained in the juice, and consequently the potential alcoholic strengh.

Before bottling, the finished wines are stored in epoxy-covered concrete tanks located in our cellars.The naturally constant temperature favours the perfect conservation of thes wines.

Our wines are always aged in our "tuffeau" stone cellars with their ideal constant temperature.(4 000 000 bottles) In 1997 the Cave des Producteurs invested in the construction of air-conditioned and functional winery, with efficient and modern equipment adapted to current requirements:

The thermo regulation of the stainless steel tanks makes it possible to control fermentation. These tanks are also used for assemblies and preparation for bottling.

 - Heat-regulated stainless steel fermentation tanks. (capacity 5000hl)
- Concrete epoxy-covered concrete tanks for wine storage. (capacity:5000hl in cellars)
- Bottling line (1997). 4000 bottles/hour
- Dégorgement line (1999 & 2003).  2500 bottles/hour
- 2 labeling lines (2001) 2500 bottles/hour each
- BRC certification.