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re: ChefJune
DIVA is not a winery; they are a négociant.
Within the Bordeaux wine trade, a négociant is -- in a sense -- a wine broker. They will buy wines directly from various châteaux on the 1er tranche, 2me tranche, etc., and offer them for sale to clients -- think importers / wholesalers / the equivalent from all over the world, be it the US, the UK, Brazil, Japan, etc., etc.
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re: ChefJune
Uh, no.
The confusion comes from the multiple uses of the same word. What you are describing is the AMERICAN use of the term, "negociant." In the US, we "appropriated" the French term négociant to mean someone who brokers wine in bulk -- either in tank or, ultimately, bottled -- be it to other wineries, exporters, retailers, wholesalers, or even restaurants who wish to use a control label of their own.
In Burgundy and the Rhône, a négociant would be someone like Louis Jadot, Joseph Drouhin, or Paul Jaboulet Aîne. While they may produce some of the own wines directly from grapes they grow themselves (I.e.: from vineyards they own), much of what they is purchase wine in barrel from "les petits vignerons," blend them together, and then bottle them under their *own* label and send the finished wine to market. (Note: some will buy grapes, rather than wine, a la a California winery.)
But a BORDEAUX négociant is very different. Their primary role is to provide an avenue for the various châteaux -- from Premiers Crus to petites châteaux -- to get their wines to market. They promise to buy the finished wines from the château and offer them for sale to their clients (typically importers and wholesalers) around the world as "futures," and thus finance the chateau's operations by providing them with cash flow while the wine is aging in barrel.
It's a ***very*** different model.
Bordeaux négociants are typically French or British companies (though some are Belgian, Swiss, German) which have been around for decades if not centuries. The obvious concern, then, is that a Chinese-owned négociant -- especially one owned by the government -- will offer their wines to their own retail outlets exclusively, syphoning off wines that might have otherwise been destined for more traditional channels.
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