[FR] The vineyards of northern Spain and southern France

I mainly studied vineyards in southwestern France (primarily the Cahors and Bergerac AOCs), as well as those in Languedoc and northern Spain (Catalonia and Aragon). Vineyards in northern Spain stand out for the scale of investment and modern communication strategies that producers devote to their products. This is reflected even in the architecture of the bodegas (the Somontano appellation in northern Aragon is a good example of this). While similar initiatives exist in southwestern France and Languedoc-Roussillon, they remain much more discreet. The cooperative system is an interesting case for anyone interested in the world of wine. Some analysts insist that the cooperative movement as an ideology is coming to an end. Where they existed, cooperative wineries have undergone powerful transformations and adaptations. They are currently being restructured and consolidated in the south of France, and remain a source of innovation and support for future bottlers who cannot immediately invest in all the necessary equipment. Many have implemented quality and communication policies and sometimes operate like New World wineries or bodegas. At the same time, it could be said that the latter are moving closer to the policy of cooperatives by buying the harvests of grape producers who cannot or do not wish to bottle their wine – but without adopting the social and political vocation that characterises the cooperatives of Languedoc-Roussillon.