Negociant
(Nee-Go-Sea-Aunt)

In times of plenty, the wine industry's equivalent of the high-tech entrepeneur is the negociant. This relatively little known player outside the industry, becomes a big player when there are bountiful supplies of bulk wine. Operating from a stable of little known or newly developed labels, many function as "virtual wineries".

Buying bulk wines for their value, packaging and marketing the casegoods, distributing the product, many operate with little more than a telephone or an internet connection. Others operate from within fully integrated wine powerhouses, deft enough to see an opportunity and possessing the capability to capitalize. Think Charles Shaw? (two-buck chuck)

Many of the labels are only in the marketplace for the duration of a surplus, while others become full blown brands and major labels of their own. Many of the labels become house brands at various restaurants or other stores. These guys are the nursery for new tastes, styles, packaging, labeling, pricing or any combination which they think might get a consumer to buy. Their successful efforts are copied many times by the staid traditionalists of our industry once they are proven to work.

These guys help clean up what prosperity can bring-excess inventories, excess supplies, unsold casegoods and so on. Their success ultimately brings prosperity back to the industry and the cycle revolves.

These guys are needed. They are good guys and we salute their efforts.