As early as the 11th century, a group of Bordeaux merchants exported their wine to England. Trade developed briskly after the marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine to Henri Plantagenet, the future King Henry II of England.

Increased commerce with northern Europe coincided with the arrival of Dutch merchants in the 17th century. They were followed by German and Irish négociants in the 18th century. These newcomers set up their businesses in a district outside the city centre, on the banks of the Garonne, called "Les Chartrons" due to the presence of a "Chartreux" or Carthusian monastery.

The development of triangular trade with the New World made it possible to sell wine in the West Indies and North America. The shippers bought nearly all their wine in bulk (in barrels) and then aged it for 1-2 years in their cellars (including the greatest Médoc wines).

At this point, the shippers either bottled the wine, adding their name to that of the château (for instance, one bought one's Château Latour from Kressmann, or Barton, etc.), or exported it in barrels to other wine merchants (particularly in Great Britain) who took care of bottling and labelling.

At this time, shippers were decidedly responsible for most of a wine's added value. In the latter half of the 20th century, the Corréziens (a group of wine merchants from the Corrèze region of France who settled in the Libourne area) created a second trade centre for wines from Bordeaux's Right Bank. Innovative and pioneering, the Bordeaux trade has always played a major role in selecting, ageing, promoting, and selling wine.

The economic and cultural development of the city of Bordeaux, indisputably one of the world's great wine capitals, has been greatly enhanced by the stylish image of Bordeaux wines.