The Wine Merchant

What The Wine Merchant does

The Wine Merchant is a Bordeaux-based wine négociant founded in 1998 by Christophe Reboul Salze. The company sources and trades prestigious Bordeaux wines, including direct allocations from Classified Growths, distributing them to a global customer base of importers, merchants, and collectors across more than 60 countries. Approximately 80% of sales are generated outside France, served by a dedicated international sales force of 19 professionals.

The company operates TWM Logistique (TWML), a temperature-controlled storage and logistics subsidiary with capacity for 3 million bottles, located on a 6,000 sqm site constructed in 2022. Beyond its core négociant activities, The Wine Merchant holds rare and historic vintages dating back to 1874 in its cellar, and has developed exclusive partnerships for limited-edition cuvées. A new corporate headquarters in Bordeaux and a state-of-the-art logistics warehouse were inaugurated in 2023, signaling continued infrastructure investment.

The Wine Merchant has been owned since 2017 by Dona Bertarelli and Yann Guichard. Under their ownership, the firm has expanded its Asia/Pacific presence with a Hong Kong office, pursued CSR certification ("Cultivons Demain" in 2024), and appointed a Director of B2C Development to extend its reach beyond traditional B2B channels. The firm reports "constant growth" and positions itself as a major player on the Place de Bordeaux.

Name

The Wine Merchant

Legal name

The Wine Merchant

Website

https://the-wine-merchant.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Wine Merchant is a Bordeaux-based négociant founded in 1998 that trades prestigious Bordeaux classified growth wines and offers temperature-controlled storage logistics. It serves 1,200+ active customers across 60+ countries through a dedicated international sales force.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wine Trading and Distribution

NAICS

Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (42482)

SIC

Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Beer, Wine & Spirits Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAIAA)

Keywords

• Fine wine trading
• Bordeaux negociant
• Classified growth distribution
• Wine storage logistics
• Prestigious wine merchant

Headquarters

HQ city

Bordeaux

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Fine wine trading and distribution: The Wine Merchant operates as a wine merchant (négociant) trading in prestigious wines. They purchase wines from classified growth estates and distribute them to customers worldwide, generating revenue through the margin between purchase and sale prices. The company receives direct allocations from Classified Growths and has access to all fine Bordeaux wines through trusted partnerships with famous estates.
2. Wine storage services: The company offers premium wine storage services for both professionals and private individuals, providing secure facilities with optimal ageing conditions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Wine Merchant operates as a Bordeaux négociant trading prestigious wines from classified growth estates, distributing them internationally to importers, merchants, and collectors across 60+ countries. The company complements its trading activity with TWM Logistique, a temperature-controlled storage service offering 3 million bottle capacity for professionals and private collectors, along with exclusive wine offerings developed through partnerships with estates such as Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Château Brane-Cantenac, Château Beau-Séjour Bécot, and Château de Fieuzal.

Product overview

The Wine Merchant operates as a Bordeaux negociant offering a unified portfolio of wine trading and logistics services. The core offering consists of direct allocations from Classified Growths (Grands Crus Classés Portfolio) and wines from other prestigious French and international regions. TWM Logistique provides complementary temperature-controlled storage and logistics services with 3 million bottle capacity. Exclusive Partnerships offer proprietary cuvées through estate relationships. The ELEMENTS sub-brand represents a limited-edition luxury collectible. All services are coordinated through their headquarters in Bordeaux and Hong Kong office for Asia-Pacific markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Wine Merchant Fine Wine Trading Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of sales generated outside France, indicating strong international presence

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Château de FieuzalminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019The Wine Merchant offers L'Abeille de Fieuzal as an exclusive wine, a second wine offering a more immediate and accessible expression of the Pessac-Léognan estate's style.
• Château Les Carmes Haut-BrioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2016The Wine Merchant has maintained a privileged partnership with Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion for over ten years. Together they created ELEMENTS, a unique concept featuring rare wine collections presented in an artistic oak case, showcasing vintages from 2013 to 2019. The project represents the natural elements that winegrowers work with throughout the year.
• Château Brane-CantenacminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Mosaïque wine, a product made predominantly from Merlot exploring a more spontaneous and relaxed facet of Brane-Cantenac, offered exclusively through The Wine Merchant.
• Château Beau-Séjour BécotminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Wine Merchant offers Instant Bécot as an exclusive cuvée, a more confidential and accessible wine from the Premier Grand Cru Classé estate.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Caves Augé: Historic Parisian fine wine retailer/merchant with broad-format selection and professional cellar services—a French fine wine merchant peer focused on collectors and trade customers.
• Joannès Brochet (Maison Brochet): French négociant based near Bordeaux distributing classified growths and other fine wines internationally, with logistics services—closely aligned to TWM's Place de Bordeaux activities.
• Maison Sichel: Family-owned Bordeaux négociant with international distribution, exclusive estate relationships, and a B2C trading arm—a closely analogous privately-held négociant.
• Millésima: Bordeaux-based fine wine négociant and e-retailer offering en primeur allocations, cellar storage, and international delivery. Most direct functional peer to The Wine Merchant's négociant + storage model.
• Berry Bros. & Rudd: Historic London fine wine merchant with proprietary cellars, allocations of Classified Growths, and international collector/wholesale distribution—directly comparable to TWM's trading and storage services.
• Bordeaux Index: London-based fine wine merchant and live trading platform offering Classified Growths, cellar management, and global delivery—comparable trading + storage combination.
• Compagnie Médocaine des Grands Crus: Bordeaux négociant specializing in Classified Growth distribution to international importers and retailers; operates in the same trade channels and allocation environment as The Wine Merchant.

Broad incumbents

• Christie's Wine: Auction house wine department trading fine Bordeaux and Burgundies to an international collector base; competes at the high end of the secondary market where TWM also operates.
• Sotheby's Wine: Global auction house wine division handling fine and rare Bordeaux; broader luxury platform but directly comparable in trophy-vintage trading and collector client base.

Emerging players

• iDealwine: French online fine wine auction and brokerage platform with cellar management tools; competes for international collector demand and offers an alternative distribution channel for premium Bordeaux.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Wine Merchant