The history of Saint Emilion has been lost in the mists of time.

But where did the town get its name?

From an 8th century Christian monk called Emilian?

Or the Roman legionaries from the province of Emilie, the Emiliannais?

During the Middle Ages Saint Emilion was known as Sentmelion.

Does that derive from the Greek expression Semelè ioné, the fountain of Semelé? (Semelé was Bacchus' mother).

But it's not a name simply borrowed from the Semillion grape variety, which was once so popular in the region and called Semilion.

A history and phonetic analogies which are little verifiable:

this somewhat mythical village cultivates uncertainty, although succeeded in uniting, gathering, federating often before the others:

the creation of a new authority, called the Jurade, dates back to 1199, when Jean Sans Terre signed a charter which gave Saint Emilion "franchise, privileges and free customs".

It was revived in 1948 to become a veritable ambassador of Saint Emilion wine throughout the world.

The Syndicat Viticole de Saint-Emilion was set up on 7 December 1984:

it was the first of its kind in France.

On 9 July 1933, the first wine cooperative in the Gironde was formed, thanks the idea of Robert Villepigue, owner of the Cadet Piolat Château.

End 1996, the Union de Producteurs de Saint-Emilion was the first wine cooperative to be granted ISO 9002 certification for its entire activity:

selective acceptance of grapes, vinification, maturing, bottling, ageing and sales.

In February 1997, the Union was among the 7 first companies (including 2 wine cooperatives) to receive Agri Confiance certification.

In June 2004, we obtain certification ISO 9001 v2000.

In 2006, we are the first to obtain "International Food Standard" (IFS), and "British Retail Consortium" (BRC) for "la réception de vendanges, la vinification, l'élevage et l'embouteillage"