What does vintner mean?
Vintner is a noun denoting a person who trades in wine, buying wine and selling it to customers, often through an established specialist business. The word has a traditional and slightly literary quality, especially in British English, where wine merchant is more common in everyday speech. A vintner may be associated with fine wines, long-established cellars, regional appellations, and the specialist culture of the wine trade, but the word identifies a merchant rather than a critic or tasting professional. It should therefore not be confused with a sommelier, who selects and serves wine, or a vinter, who helps determine when grapes are harvested for winemaking. Although many speakers now prefer wine merchant, vintner remains idiomatic in historical narratives, descriptions of family businesses, and the names or branding of wine merchants. The word is especially useful when emphasizing not merely someone who appreciates wine, but someone who conducts a business dealing in it.
nounA vintner is a merchant who buys, sells, or deals in wine. The term is often used in a traditional, historical, or literary register.
- A merchant who buys, sells, or deals in wine.
"The vintner recommended a Burgundy from a small family domaine."
"The vintner showed the customer several bottles from the latest harvest."
"His great-grandfather was a respected vintner whose shop served wealthy merchants for generations."
The standard plural is vintners, with the possessive form vintner's.
"Several vintners attended the tasting."
While a sommelier judges the wine, a vintner trades in it—a distinction hidden in two words that can sound almost identical.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does vintner come from?
The English word derives from Old French, whose vin means “wine,” and ultimately from Latin vinum. It entered English with an agent-forming element denoting a person connected with the wine trade.
Related word forms
How vintner is actually used
The word has a traditional, slightly old-fashioned or literary quality. It is especially associated with British English, although it is also used in the United States; in everyday modern usage, wine merchant is more common. Its commercial focus distinguishes it from a sommelier, who selects or serves wine, and a winemaker, who produces it.
Easily confused with vintner
A vintner is a wine merchant, whereas a vinter is someone involved in selecting grapes and determining when they are harvested for winemaking.