The Saint-Émilion Producers’ Union
The Saint-Émilion Producers' Union
Since its formation in the 1930s, the Saint-Emilion Producers’ Union has greatly evolved. From a group of six founding winemakers, the Union has expanded to welcome a further 164 growers. The Union aims to pool the resources of wine-producers in terms of production and the marketing of their stock.
THE SAINT-EMILION PRODUCERS’ UNION HELPS POOL THE PRODUCTION AND MARKETING RESOURCES OF OUR WINEMAKERS
Nowadays the Saint-Emilion Producers’ Union covers:
- 750 hectares of vineyards in the Saint-Emilion and Saint-Emilion Grand Cru AOC regions
- 38,000 hectolitres of wine per year
- An optical sorting machine (Delta Vistalys) for selecting the best grapes (size, shape and colour)
- 8 vertical hydraulic presses
- A cellar with some 5,000 oak barrels
- Bottling facilities (capable of filling 8000 bottles per hour)
- An annual production of 4,600,000 bottles
- 7 million bottles stored in commercial premises
Wine tastings
Throughout the year the Saint-Emilion Producers’ Union team invites visitors (by advance reservation only) to discover the region’s wines and its history, and learn about the functioning of the Union. This tour, from harvesting through to bottling, is followed by a tasting of two Saint Emilion wines. At the Espace Oenotheque, visitors can buy the wines they have seen and tasted. Since 2008, the Saint-Emilion Producers’ Union has also welcomed a constant stream of artists, painters, sculptors and photographers to the Oenotheque, where an old underground cellar has been redeveloped into a genuine art gallery.