Welcome to Wine Scholar Guild’s Producer Guide 

In this guide you’ll discover the finest producers of French, Italian and Spanish wines, region by region, glass by glass. ​

The Producer Guide highlights both the essential ‘must-know’ names in wine who anchor your education and discovery, in addition to our handpicked selection of visionary producers—those who we believe are crafting the most exciting wines of our time. Some have spent decades quietly creating authentic wines of place, free from hype or fanfare, while others represent a bold new generation, pushing boundaries, reimagining possibilities and redefining how terroir is expressed in every bottle.

Categorisation

We have categorised producers as follows: 

• Icons – These are the long-established names that have helped to put their regions on the map. Their wines are tried, tested and consistently lauded, sometimes over several generations.  They are the undisputed champions of their regions.
• Notable Producers – A hand-picked selection of those producers we believe are particularly noteworthy for making outstanding wines of place, as well as for making a significant, positive contribution to their region’s reputation. 
• Négociants – Most are medium-sized (sometimes large-scale) producers vinifying purchased fruit to an attractive quality standard. Many, too, have their own wine domains where they produce outstanding quality wines of place which compete with the best from local growers.  Try to check the labelling conventions used by négociants to distinguish between their négociant and domain ranges.
• Cooperatives – Leading cooperatives, are vital social partners helping keep local wine production viable for those with very small-scale holdings. They may also craft authentic wines of place, often attractively priced, that help set benchmarks for the region.​

Tags

Throughout the Guide, you’ll notice some of the producers have been allocated a tag: 

• 
  WSG Favorites

  This tag denotes producers WSG especially recommends for offering outstanding, authentic wines of place.
• 
  Rising Stars

  This is a rarely-used accolade, intended to denote those producers that we believe have the potential to become the Icons of tomorrow. Expect exciting quality wines which have yet to achieve widespread acclaim. Buy them now while they’re still affordable.
• 
  Organic, Biodynamic and/or Regenerative

  This tag highlights producers conducting organic, biodynamic and/or regenerative practices, whether certified or not.
• 
  Low Intervention

  A tag indicating producers who are part of the "natural" wine movement, using no additives in winemaking, including no (or very low doses of) added sulfites.  
• 
  Unicorn
  

  Used to describe a wine that is extraordinarily rare, highly coveted, and often legendary in its quality or mystique. These wines are typically produced in minuscule quantities, come from iconic or lesser-known but exceptional producers, and are challenging to acquire due to their scarcity, price, or cult status. 

What this guide is not … 

This Guide isn’t designed to be a comprehensive list featuring every wine producer making worthwhile wines, nor is it intended to be the final word on the greatest wines of France, Italy or Spain. ​

WSG’s team is composed of some of the most respected and knowledgeable voices in the wine world — regional experts, world-renowned authorities, Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers, critics, journalists and seasoned tasters. Our shared mission? To educate, inspire and shine a spotlight on remarkable wine producers worth knowing. ​

We invite you to dive into our curated selections and discover the stories behind these extraordinary wines.​

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