Just noticed this thread. I
live in Burgundy and can correct some of the perceptions here. First of all, many of the fine Burgundy wines
are bottled on site. Especially the smaller producers. They have been doing it a very, very long time and do not see any reason to change. They may sell off some of the grapes to larger manufacturers, but they produce a lot of bottles on site.
There is also something called a
Cave coopérative in most areas where a bunch of producers team together to setup a large scale production facility. Here is one I visit from time to time
http://merchant.ballsbrothers.co.uk/...ve_de_buxy.htm At these places you can choose to have your wine pumped into a large plastic jug from what exactly resembles a gasoline pump. It is very cheap and it is the same exact stuff that is put into the bottle.
And terroir IS very important. Anyone who hasn't had their tastebuds destroyed can easily tell the difference between a quality Chardonnay in one area of Burgundy from another. These things are actually far more important in France than for the export market. People here are deeply traditional and wouldn't think of drinking a wine that they were not absolutely sure of the origin and production.
Lastly this is kind of timely as I just read this article on the BBC website about a scandal involving EJ Gallo.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8520980.stm