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French cooperative wines: 20 of the best

To many, French cooperatives conjure up an image of monolithic wine factories, producing very ordinary wines, but the reality is more nuanced. Elizabeth Gabay MW highlights 20 of the best French cooperative wines.

The cooperative movement in France started in 1901 with the Languedoc cooperative of Ensérune (now part of Les Vignobles Foncalieu), supporting rural communities in a post-phylloxera and industrial revolution world, and continuing to keep viticulture alive during world wars and economic recessions.

Cooperatives are diverse in size, type of organisation and philosophy, and appear in every winemaking region in France, producing wines in a wide range of styles, quality levels and price brackets.


Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 20 top French cooperative wines



Top 20 French cooperative wines to try

The wines below are listed by style, then by score.


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