Founded in 1965, Union des Vignerons des Côtes du Rhône, or U.V.C.D.R., is a French wine cooperative in the Rhône Valley that includes 11 wineries and nearly 3,000 grape grower families. The co-op’s story begins in the 1960s, when grapes produced in the vineyards of the Côtes du Rhône region were mainly sold in bulk. Six winemaking cooperatives united to bottle their own wine, giving it higher value and enabling the cooperatives to make a better profit, to benefit their farmer members. The union also created an opportunity for the cooperatives to build their reputations as winemakers. Today, U.V.C.D.R. is a cooperative group of the highest order, comprising 13 wine cooperatives and one bottling plant based in the village-fortress of medieval Provence: Tulette.
The cooperative system goes beyond the sharing of production facilities in the co-op’s wineries and marketing through U.V.C.D.R. The system addresses the needs and the future of those at every level of the business, from the family farmers to the winery employees. The co-op members are co-owners of the business and share in the governance and decision-making; each co-op member has a voice and a vote in the organization. For nearly half a century, faithful to the vision of the founding winemakers, the men and women of U.V.C.D.R. have proudly shared their values in a modern agricultural co-op.
Using a direct purchasing model to eliminate unnecessary costs, we work directly with the co-op to choose high-quality, certified organic wines that we are proud to carry.