The Charter of Excellence : the Provins Valais supplier contract

As a pioneering firm in quality management, Provins created the "Capsule Dorée" (golden capsule) Competition in 1945. Through this competition, Provins developed quality control on the wine more than 50 years ago (in 1945).

The concepts of local soil and soil-grape variety suitability combined with rigorous checks were set up in cooperation with the producers to the immense satisfaction of their consumers.

This approach, which was introduced well before any concept of AOC, made Provins the number one for quality in Valais.

Determined to remain the leader in quality management and in the certainty that, thenceforth, excellence had to be a constant quest, Provins set to work again and, more than twenty years ago, set up the first cultivation contracts, the "Maître de Chais" contract.

Today, Provins offers its wine growers a Charter of Excellence instead of the Capsule Dorée Competition.

This charter is a voluntary approach by producers wishing to form a genuine partnership between the cooperative members and Provins Valais; it makes it possible to establish traceability of the raw material and continuous quality improvement.

The Provins Valais Charter of Excellence is available to all the farmers affiliated to the cooperative and takes into account all of the farmed surface areas.

The conditions of membership are as follows :

- being part of the VITIVAL approach and meeting the relevant demands, with the aim of encouraging rational and environmentally-friendly viticulture ;
- signing the "Charter of Excellence" supplier contract and fulfilling its requirements.

The Charter of Excellence will make it possible to highlight the production of high-quality grapes originating the best soil – grape variety matches over the whole of the vineyard region.