What does vinery mean?
Vinery is a chiefly British noun for a vineyard, especially one in France, and more occasionally for a place where wine is made. In older and literary usage, it can refer broadly to grapevine cultivation or wine production rather than only to a modern commercial winery. The word often lends an elegant, old-fashioned, French or European tone to prose, which is one reason writers may choose it where vineyard or winery would be plainer. A vinery can mean the land planted with grapevines; the related word winery more usually denotes the building or business that turns grapes into wine. Because these meanings overlap and differ by emphasis, the surrounding context is decisive. Vinery is uncommon in present-day American English but remains understood, while vineyard and winery are the standard everyday choices in both varieties. The word is worth knowing for its historical character and its connection to the European tradition of wine growing.
nounA vineyard, especially one in France; less commonly, a place where wine is made.
- A vineyard or place where grapevines are cultivated, especially in France.
- A place where wine is produced, especially a winery.
"After the tour, we sampled several wines from the local vinery."
"After the tour, we sampled several wines from the local vinery."
"The old French vinery has been restored as a museum."
The regular plural is vineries, used when referring to more than one vineyard or wine-producing property.
"Several small vineries operate along the river."
A vinery is a vineyard with a French accent: its roots run through Old French, Latin, and the vines themselves.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does vinery come from?
The English word comes from Old French vignerie, formed from vin, “wine,” with the suffix -erie. Its deeper Latin ancestry is in vinea, “vineyard,” and vinum, “wine,” which also underlie cognates such as vineyard, vintage, and vinous. The French-derived form became especially associated with vineyards in France, while its sense of a wine-making establishment overlaps with the modern word winery.
Related word forms
How vinery is actually used
Vinery is somewhat literary or old-fashioned and is uncommon in contemporary American English, where vineyard and winery are the usual choices.
Easily confused with vinery
A vineyard is specifically an area planted with grapevines, whereas vinery can also refer more broadly to a wine-producing property.
A winery usually denotes the establishment that produces wine, while vinery traditionally emphasizes a vineyard and is especially associated with France.