<P> Currently, one of the largest Negociants in the United States and, more specifically California, is Gary Agajanian and Agajanian Vineyards . </P> <P> Some négociants have a recognizable house style . </P> <P> Négociants, who are also called Wine Merchants / Traders, were the dominant force in the wine trade until the last 25 years for various reasons: </P> <Ul> <Li> Historically the owners of vineyards and producers of wine had no direct access to buyers . </Li> <Li> It was too expensive for growers to purchase the wine presses and bottling lines necessary to produce a finished wine . </Li> <Li> Owning only a small portion of a particular high - quality single vineyard (lieu - dit) meant that a grower often had insufficient wine from a parcel to vinify on its own . Under French inheritance laws, vineyard holdings were often split until offspring owned no more than a single row of grapes, not enough to fill a barrel . Since prices for a premier cru are typically higher than for wines from a larger area like a village or region, the grower could make more money selling off the production as the premier cru rather than blending it into a less specific appellation . </Li> </Ul>

What do you call a person who grows grapes