The Union des Maisons de Bordeaux brings together a hundred of the region's largest wine and spirit concerns. As mentioned in their bylaws, the purpose of the association is to "defend, represent, and promote the professional interests of member firms selling wines, spirits, liqueurs, fruit juices, and syrups both in France than abroad".

The association provides :

•  a source of information and advice,
•  a means of cooperating and making decisions,
•  a communication vector,
•  a way of protecting the trade's best interests.

The Union des Maisons de Bordeaux offers the following services :

	PROFESSIONAL EXTRANET Members have a special password enabling them to access a professional extranet website (www.netvs.org). This is a precious source of information for wine shippers (V&S Guide, export regulations for each country, the Fédération des Exportateurs newsletter, the Union des Maisons de Bordeaux's weekly bulletin, the collective labour agreement, etc.). Partial access is possible for non-members under special conditions.
	LES AVIS DU NEGOCE Two booklets entitled L'Avis du Négoce sur les Primeurs and L'Avis du Négoce sur les Grands Crus contain a summary of tasting notes by shippers in conjunction with the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux. These notes cover barrel samples of wines from the new vintage (2002 in 2003) and newly released wines (the 2000 vintage in 2002).
OTHER PUBLICATIONS A complete directory (l'Annuaire des Négociants en Vins et Spiritueux de Bordeaux et de la Gironde), a brochure presenting the profession, La Centrale des Bilans (Financial analysis and benchmarking), produced in conjunction with our National Federation, Entreprises de Grands Vins de France, etc.
WEEKLY BULLETIN FOR UMB MEMBERS This bulletin keeps shippers belonging to the Union des Maisons de Bordeaux informed about regulations concerning the profession (production, marketing, management, labour law, etc.)..
HELP IN PREPARING INVESTMENT AID APPLICATIONS Assistance in preparing application files for tangible and intangible investments.

On a national level, the Union des Maisons de Bordeaux is a member of a national federation, Entreprises de Grands Vins de France, 95 rue de Monceau, Paris, which includes regional associations of traditional French wine shippers (representing a thousand businesses). M. Bertrand Bonnet, (Managing Director of Maison Gabriel Meffre in Gigondas) is president of this federation. The Union des Maisons de Bordeaux is also a member of F.E.V.S. (Fédération des Exportateurs de Vins & Spiritueux de France).