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Les Grands Chais de France Exclusive



It all started over 40 years ago. Joseph Helfrich created the Les Grands Chais de France group with the desire to satisfy the thirst of wine lovers. Even though we are increasingly successful and continue to grow, the Group's history is first and foremost the story of a family driven by a passion for wine and the terroir. But this success is also due to the family spirit binding all our employees and uniting the teams through a shared vision:

"Have consumers all over the world come to enjoy the huge diversity of wines and the authenticity of French and foreign terroirs."

 

First wine producer and wine merchant in Europe

The Les Grands Chais de France Group has forged special partnerships with winegrowers and is the biggest private winemaker in France. With a strong presence in all the leading French and foreign wine regions, GCF is unique in that it covers the entire wine chain, from grape to glass.

Our different trades are:

  • winegrowing
  • winemaking, wine maturing
  • bottling - Logistics/distribution

The common goal is to obtain high quality wines that please our customers.


N°1 French exporter of wine and spirits

The head office of the GCF Group is located in Petersbach, Alsace, which strategically sets it at the very heart of Europe. With over 3,580 team members, the Group clocked up a turnover of 1,3 milliard euros in 2022, 80% of which was exported to over 178 countries. GCF thus confirms its position as France's leading wine exporter and ranks 5th among the world's players.


Our know-how GCF Group, expertise in the wine sector

Winegrowing

"Cultivate the vineyard with the aim of harvesting the best grapes"

With 3,760 hectares of vineyards worldwide and passionate and highly demanding technical teams, we want to realise the full potential of each region and promote the unique features of each terroir and vineyard. We are continually investing in the preservation and development of our vineyards.

All our vineyards without exception are engaged in environmentally-friendly initiatives and have earned the HVE label for environmental protection.


We are the leading private winemaker in France, excluding cooperatives.

The quality of our wines is a core concern and we are present in the heart of the vineyards thanks to our own winemaking centres. We have built up strong partnerships with winegrowers and cooperatives, and are committed to working with producers through associations created to foster solid relationships over the long-term. Today, these associations have over 1,800 partners.

But GCF also sources wines and fosters partnerships all over the world.


A sparkling producer

"Bubbly" is an integral part of our know-how.

Synonymous with parties and celebrations, our cremants, Champagne, sparkling and effervescent wines will always be there for your festive occasions.

We have developed a precise and meticulous wine-making process in the different regions in France and Europe, using cutting edge technology and innovative techniques developed by our research and development centre.

This is how we have become the leading traditional method wine maturing and winemaking company in France. We have also mastered the Charmat and carbonated gas methods, thus meeting all demands from consumers for effervescent wines and now offer a wide variety of different tasting wines.


Our terroirs

We are present in the main French wine regions, from Alsace to Languedoc, including Bordeaux, Jura, Burgundy and the Loire Valley.

With the support of our specialized teams, we operate 3,470 hectares of vineyards in the largest French wine-growing areas, with the aim of revealing the uniqueness of each vineyard.

Whether through our estates and châteaux or our brands, we have become a legitimate player in the regions, with recognition in France and internationally.

But our presence does not stop at the French borders and the group now extends to Germany, Hungary, Spain, Chile and South Africa.


Since 2017, the Group has been engaged in a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative

Our sustainable development strategy and vision are constantly evolving, attentive to consumer's demands and striving to be ever more ambitious. The work carried out in the regions we operate in and the efforts dedicated to this approach over several years now, backed up by a very active Steering Committee at Group level, have meant that sustainable development is now at the heart of all our activities.

Throughout the long delicate journey required to make a great wine, our teams work together combining their know-how and technical mastery, from working the land and the grapevines to winemaking and maturing and taking in packaging and logistics.


Read GCF 2025 Snapshot