Les Vignerons de l'Île de Ré host seminars, study days, team-building sessions and general assemblies for up to 104 people, in a meeting room of 145 square meters with an adjoining lounge. The venue is the winegrowers' cooperative of the island, on the route de Sainte-Marie in Le Bois-Plage-en-Ré, where the members make wine, Pineau des Charentes and cognac.
Seminars and company events
The cooperative sells its rooms to businesses and associations for working days. A member of staff prepares the rooms and the lounge before the group arrives and stays on hand during the event. The lounge next to the meeting room is used for welcome coffee, breaks and small-group discussions.
Three options can be added to a working day. A gourmet break brings orange juice, coffee, tea and pastries. A guided visit with a tasting of local products shows how the cooperative's spirits are made, through the distillery and the ageing cellars. A horse ride through the vineyards gives a team an outdoor session; places are limited for this activity.
Rooms and capacities
The seminar space is offered in three sizes. Espace X.O covers 145 square meters and takes from 40 to 104 people depending on the layout; it can be divided into two or three workrooms. Espace V.S.O.P covers 93 square meters and takes from 24 to 75 people; it can be divided into two workrooms. Espace V.S covers 45 square meters and takes from 16 to 40 people.
Each space comes with Wi-Fi, a projector, a flipchart, paper and pens, and air conditioning. The ability to split the main room means a plenary session and breakout groups can run in the same building.
Catering
There is no in-house restaurant for groups. The cooperative works with partner caterers and restaurateurs. A group can go out for lunch at a partner restaurant, have a buffet brought in, or eat meal trays in the lounge without leaving the venue.
Accommodation
There are no bedrooms at the cooperative. The team directs groups to partner hotels and to outdoor accommodation on the island, according to the size and budget of the group.
History and setting
Vines have long covered a large part of Île de Ré; the cooperative notes that the vineyard reached a record 2,000 hectares in 1950. On December 24 of that year, the island's winegrowers decided to found a wine cooperative, which opened in 1951 in Le Bois-Plage-en-Ré, next to a vegetable growers' cooperative. In 2008 the two merged to form Uniré, the union of Île de Ré cooperatives. The vegetable side is known for the Île de Ré early potato, which carries a protected designation of origin.
Today the cooperative makes IGP Charentais wines, Pineau des Charentes and cognac. Its cellar shop is open all year for tastings, and it runs public tours of the distillery and the ageing cellars, including a weekly tour in English.
Getting there
The cooperative is about 20 km from La Rochelle, 200 km from Bordeaux and 490 km from Paris. La Rochelle has a train station with direct high-speed trains from Paris and an airport, La Rochelle-Île de Ré. From La Rochelle, the island is reached by the toll bridge, then by road to Le Bois-Plage-en-Ré on the south coast of the island.
