THE appeal of packing it all in and buying a vineyard plays on the minds of many, but as property prices rise is it possible to pick up a bargain?
This is the question asked by journalist Chris Wilson on the Expat Telegraph website as he trawls around the south of France.
But his plan to pick up a few hectares of vines with a pleasant little mansion to while away the hours in is soon brought crashing down to earth as prices of a €1million or more are quoted.
He writes:
Property prices have spiralled: today, in the south of France, it is virtually impossible to find a house with a vineyard for sale at less than €1.3 million (£870,000). Anything cheaper is likely to require substantial investment to bring both the wines and the house up to scratch. It is a sobering thought.
He carries on with his search hoping that the life of a gentleman farmer can still be within his grasp without breaking the bank.
Comments
4 responses to “A vineyard life in France”
Dear Madam,
Dear Sir,
I want to buy a vineyard in france.
Could you advise me please?
Best Regards
Bahram
Hi Bahram, many thanks for your message. An article that might help with your search is one I wrote about SAFER which handles agricultural sales in France, please see:
http://www.thisfrenchlife.com/thisfrenchlife/2007/04/setting_up_a_fa.html
All the best
Craig
It does seem like a lot of vineyard/winery prices are spiraling up there. But you can still find bargains if you spend a fair amount of time searching.
SAFER is an interesting organization. They’re pretty motivated to make sales even though they have a government monopoly of sorts on agricultural sales in France.
Hi Ryan,
Thanks for the comment.
The piece I featured was written in 2007 so things could have changed quite dramatically since.
And you’ve got a new blog reader 😉
All the best, Craig