What does winegrower mean?
A winegrower is a person who cultivates grapevines, usually to produce grapes used for making wine. The term can also be used more broadly for a vineyard or wine-producing estate, especially in wine regions and industry contexts. A winegrower’s work includes selecting and planting vines, managing the soil and canopy, controlling yields, and harvesting grapes; winemaking decisions such as fermentation, maturation, and bottling may belong to a separate winery or vintner. In ordinary British and American English, the word is neutral and professional, though it is more common in wine-producing areas and formal industry writing than in casual conversation. It is especially useful for distinguishing grape cultivation from other parts of the wine trade. Knowing the term also clarifies the division of labor behind a bottle: someone grows the fruit, while a winemaker or vintner turns it into wine.
nounA person who grows grapevines, especially for the purpose of producing wine. The term may also refer more broadly to a vineyard or wine-producing estate.
- A person who cultivates grapevines for wine production, or more broadly a vineyard or wine-producing estate.
"The local winegrower has been tending the vines on the hillside for more than thirty years."
"Winegrowers throughout the valley are expecting a smaller harvest this year."
"The report interviews several leading winegrowers about sustainable vineyard management."
The standard plural of winegrower.
"The two winegrowers negotiated a long-term supply agreement."
Winegrowers begin with soil and vines; the bottle comes much later.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of winegrower
Winegrower is an English compound formed from wine and grower, with grower meaning a person who grows crops. Wine comes through Old French from Latin vinum, the source of related English words such as vine, vineyard, vintage, and vintner. The compound term developed to denote someone whose principal work is the cultivation of grapevines for wine.
Related word forms
How winegrower is actually used
The word is neutral and professional, but it is more common in wine-producing regions and formal industry contexts than in casual conversation. In some contexts it refers to the vineyard business rather than an individual.
Easily confused with winegrower
A grape grower may cultivate grapes for any purpose, while a winegrower specifically grows grapes intended for wine production.