(Forbes) - Winemaking in Bordeaux has had a long and storied success. So, too, has the business of wine as it’s been practiced and cultivated in that region for hundreds of years.

The history of exporting wine from this port city dates back to the fourteenth century. The Place de Bordeaux, with its network of several hundred négociants, and the en primeur system of annually “betting” on wine futures have both had immeasurable influence on the global wine trade.

Yet, for all of its critical success and commercial influence, the Bordeaux wine industry in more recent years has been perceived as complacent and insular. “Innovative” or “forward-thinking” have not necessarily been the first words to jump to mind in relation to Bordeaux.

That’s where Bordeaux-based 33 Entrepreneurs comes in. They’ve positioned themselves as an accelerator for wine startups, and they extend their reach to the complementary categories of tourism and food as well.

And they’ve got momentum, driven most recently by investments from Microsoft’s BizSpark initiative as well as several major wine-producing châteaux from the region.

Here are three insights from the company behind Bordeaux’s first “cuvée” of entrepreneurs.