The term garagiste originally refers to a group of innovative winemakers in the Bordeaux region, producing
"Vins du garage" or "Garage wine". This group emerged in the mid 1990s in reaction to the traditional
style of red Bordeaux wine, which is highly tannic and requires long ageing in the bottle to become
drinkable. The garagistes developed a style more consistent with perceived international wine tastes.

For red wines, this means "bigger, bolder, fruitier wines, often with sometimes a higher alcohol content."
For white wines, the new style is a more pronounced oak taste with some residual sugar.
Characterised as "winemaker's wine whose attributes reflect a disregard for the traditional handling
of its particular terroir", the term is sometimes used somewhat as a backhanded compliment, in light
of that these wines come from previously unknown estates without proven track record or pedigree.
Alternately, such wine is referred to as "super-cuvée" or "microchâteau".