Falling in love with a vineyard or a wine estate
Are you a wine lover ? Gripped by vines ? Could you fall in love with a vineyard and live among the grapes ?
What do Francis Ford Coppola, Sting and Carole Bouquet have in common? All three are invested in wine. And they’re not alone… AC/DC, Depardieu, Besson, Banderas and Angelina Jolie all now make wine and live within sight of their vineyards.
A modest vineyard or a château surrounded by vines ?
Opting for a wine estate or vineyard means signing up for life, or at least for part of a life. Vinophiles are unlikely to have much hesitation about imagining investing in a winemaking château, bastide or winemaker’s house whose ancient stones speak of an agricultural past (or present).
Some of these seductive vineyard residences also come with a roofed external staircase, winery, press and cellar… all of which add interest, at the same time as breaking the flow of the building(s). Wine estates, on the other hand, will include the winegrower’s home (château, bastide or winemaker’s house), as well as all the infrastructures needed to turn grapes from the vines into bottles of wine, including wineries, storage cellars, tank farms, etc.
Vineyard For Sale… what you need to know
A wine estate may include several vineyards and grow one or more grape varieties (Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, Ugni Blanc, etc.). It’s also important to understand that some names are protected designations of origin: French vineyards produce 3,240 different wines, including 315 classified as AOC or AOP. So before buying, it’s essential to confirm which – if any – plots are AOC, and the brand name registered to the estate or château.