Piémont Causses & Cévennes, wine cooperative
- Par nbesse
- Le 01/12/2025
- Dans Local products & recipes
FR - With the slogan ‘What binds us together makes us grow’, the Piémont Causses & Cévennes wine cooperative, created in January 2024 and represented by the Saint Maurice le Piémont des Cévennes winery and the Castelbarry Montpeyroux artisan cooperative, aims to be 'a cooperative, ethical and sustainable pact rooted in two wine-growing regions', the Gard and Hérault regions and a ‘sharing of the same values’.
A stakeholder in Vignerons Engagés, the leading label for sustainable development and CSR in the wine world, Piémont Causses & Cévennes is a union of expertise between regions and a sharing of ‘technical, commercial and economic skills’.
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Saint-Maurice, the Piémont des Cévennes, the largest cooperative winery in northern Gard : Respecting the heritage entrusted to us, preserving it for future generations, by playing an active role in the challenges facing our region... (Saint Maurice Le Piémont des Cévennes)
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Saint-Maurice Cooperative Winery Presentation
Founded in 1925, the Saint-Maurice winery covers 52 municipalities and has 180 winegrowers. IGP Cévennes, its vineyards cover some 1,920 hectares, 30% of which are organically farmed. In total, 20% are white, 40% rosé and 40% red.
Celebrating its centenary in November 2025, the winery produces classic vintages such as Le Petit Maurice and organic wines such as Paradigme and Le Temps des Châtaignes, as well as a light and fruity sparkling white wine made from Viognier and Mauricette, and a surprising carbonated drink made from Sauvignon and verbena, perfect for cocktails... not to mention a first cuvée from the Causses & Cévennes region, La Belle Histoire...
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"We have every reason to believe that a model of sustainable viticulture is the strength of our movement and the raison d'être of the Castelbarry cooperative."
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The Castelbarry winery, meanwhile, is ‘one of the last cooperative wineries to be established’. Founded in 1950, it brings together 80 winegrowers covering more than 300 hectares, 30% of which are organically farmed, and spans 15 municipalities
With vintages (AOP Languedoc, IGP Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert and AOP Terrasses du Larzac) such as the reds L'Ayal, Tarral and Le Salut de la Terre, whites such as Col du Vent, Saute Rocher and Les Coopains, and rosés such as Le Saut Rocher and Excès Rosé, it produces 5% white, 45% rosé and 50% red wines.
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The project Le bazar de mon père, a documentary film about the human adventure in the Cévennes region The film (teaser) by screenwriter and director Luc Plissonneau "showcases the rich wine-growing and human heritage of the lively Cévennes region, a source of emotion and inspiration, but also a generator of vocations". A project carried out with the support of the Alès Agglomeration, the Gard Department, the Occitanie region and Verdoire company.
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Piémont Causses & Cévennes, a cooperative pact
Piémont Causses & Cévennes is made up of 270 cooperative winegrowers covering 2,400 hectares of vineyards (650 of which are organic).
‘We have had affinities for a long time,’ explains Romain Rigon, Chairman of the Board of Directors. 'We share common values, those of the cooperative of course, and CSR values...
What's more, both our organisations are backed by the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Causses & Cévennes, with Castelbarry on the Larzac foothills on one side and Saint-Maurice on the Cévennes foothills on the other.
The main idea behind our partnership is to continue promoting each region through the new structure. It is a cooperative with sections, but two territorial entities...'
A tribute cuvée
Piémont Causses & Cévennes is also a tribute cuvée celebrating the centenary of the Saint-Maurice winery. La Belle Histoire thus marks 'the beginning of a strong partnership with the Alès Mécénat endowment fund, created to build bridges between economic, cultural and associative actors with the sole objective of promoting the region, with wine in this case being a 'vehicle for solidarity and a shared future'.
A range complemented by AOP blends and IGP Cévennes varietal wines
A single cooperative where each member retains its identity, range and own sites is important.
‘Of course, the aim is to pool certain resources and make trade-offs, but the sites will be retained because, unlike rescue mergers, this is a merger for commercial reasons, while optimising the existing sites,’ continues Romain Rigon.
‘For example, Castelbarry now has a state-of-the-art storage facility, which Saint-Maurice still lacks. The ultimate idea is to centralise the packaging facility in Montpeyroux with bottling, storage and shipping.’
The merger also makes sense from a commercial perspective, with complementary product ranges: 'There is a real commercial logic between Castelbarry's high-altitude Languedoc wines, classified as AOP blends, and Saint-Maurice's IGP Cévennes wines, which are often varietal wines with a high proportion of organic grapes.'
Trade shows: a powerful lever
Trade shows are a powerful lever for raising awareness and expanding reach. 'Whether at Millésime Bio or Wine Paris, there is real enthusiasm among customers, who seem excited about the idea of enjoying wines of the present and the future from a single entity!'
What's more, the merger of the two estates also allows each winery to benefit from the other's commercial networks and position itself in complementary markets. The icing on the cake is that, with four Vilavigne shops (see below) now under its belt, Piémont Causses & Cévennes is consolidating its position in the local market and direct sales.
Many thanks to Romain Rigon, President of Piémont Causses & Cévennes, and Flavie Castanier, Communications Manager, for their collaboration on this article.
The right address: Cave Saint Maurice, 370 Mnt de Pissevin, 30360 Saint-Maurice-de-Cazevielle, contact@cavestmaurice.com. Boutique Vilavigne, route de Barjac, 30580 Brouzet-lès-Alès, Tel: 04 66 34 55 57. Boutique Vilavigne, 2 route de Lédignan, 30350 Maruéjols-lès-Gardon. Boutique Vilavigne, (mr bricolage car park) 436 Impasse de Saint Alban, 30100 Alès (opening on 29 November 2025 (in collaboration with the Chassenay d'Arce champagne house). Castelbarry Montpeyroux Artisan Cooperative (and Vilavigne shop) 5 place François Villon, 34150 Montpeyroux. Tel. 04 67 96 61 08, contact@castelbarry.com.