Vineyard Property
Area Guide
Enjoy a leisurely evening stroll through glossy green vines bursting with plump purple and white grapes and watch the final golden rays of the setting sun bathe the vineyard in a warm and tranquil glow; or savour the fruits of your very own vineyard by enjoying a glass of velvety smooth and rich tasting red wine or delicately fruity and refreshing chilled white. Mostly located in stunningly beautiful countryside locations with accommodation ranging from traditional stone houses and restored farmhouses to grand and luxurious estates with acres of private land, vineyard property provides investors with a very real opportunity of sharing in the ultimate liquid investment and owning their own vineyard whether it is nestling deep in the countryside of Bordeaux, hidden away in the Cantabrian mountains of Rioja or perched on a hillside in historic Tuscany.
Owning a vineyard is a part of almost everyone's dreams whether you want to make the wine yourself or simply sit back and enjoy the benefits. And by its very nature, vineyard property is rewarding in a very unique way, providing the benefits of a long-term investment that matures like a fine wine and increases in value, whilst enabling you to enjoy living in a tranquil and peaceful environment surrounded by fabulous countryside. With Europe dominating wine production, vineyard property in countries such as France, Italy, Spain and Portugal is becoming highly sought after, although vineyard property in England is up and coming and increasingly attracting interest from international investors.
Over the past decade, French vineyard property has become increasingly popular to overseas buyers, although Champagne and Burgundy are the hardest areas to break into, being mainly reserved for locals and skilled viticulteurs. Provence, Languedoc, Bordeaux, Cognac and Bergerac are comparatively easier markets to enter into with the Languedoc region producing more wine than any other region in France and having more than a third of the entire country’s vineyard acreage. Areas also such as the Var and the Alpilles in Provence as well as Bordeaux also have stunning and commercially viable vineyards for sale. In many cases, people are opting to buy vineyard propertywhich can offer holiday accommodation or bed and breakfast and wine themed holidays as well wine making. Prices for the smaller vineyard property can begin around 300,000 Euros, rising to over a million for the larger properties with holiday gîtes and to 10 million and above for the more prestigious wine estates.
In Italy, vineyard property in Tuscany is in a league of its own, having the cachet of the most famous wine denominations such as Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti and Bolgheri on their doorstep. Vineyard property here can be found for around 1.5m Euros – a typical example in this price range being a winery with wine cellar in the area of Montepulciano with a total area of 5 hectares cultivated with vineyards and producing 25,000 bottles a year. Wine estates start at 6m Euros with some going to over 14m Euros depending on the quantity and quality of the wine produced. At the very top end of the price spectrum is a picturesque yet state of the art vineyard in historic Tuscany with 99 acres and priced at 30 million Euros, for example.
The most established vineyard property in Spain can be found in the regions of Rioja, Navarra and Ribera del Duero. Rioja, for example, is sheltered by the Cantabrian mountain ranges and has a cool, continental climate offering superb grape-growing capacity. Investors can buy a vineyard with extensive renovations and permits for further expansion, or select properties that offer the potential for conversion into a high value commercial enterprise. Other wine making regions also offer lovely vineyard property for sale. In Southern Catalunya, the cava-making region of Penedes offers renovated vineyard property with guest houses and swimming pools all surrounded by wonderfully scenic countryside. In southern Spain, the areas around Jerez and Rueda in Andalucia have established vineyards property for sale, some combined with sporting and hunting estates. Originally famous for its sherry production, this area is now witnessing a resurgence in red wine making and the start of a new generation of boutique wine labels so now is an excellent time to buy vineyard property in southern Spain.
The fashionable wine region in Portugal is Alentejo in the south of the country. Here for around 400,000 Euros you can find small vineyards of 10 acres where typically vineyard property would be a 19th century restored traditional farmhouse complete with vaulted ceiling and tiled floors. Wine estates in the northern Portugal in the Douro region can be more expensive with those producing reputable and well established port, red and white wine costing upwards of 6 million Euros.
England is a relatively new wine region, and although land is expensive, prices for vineyard properties are more reasonable. The best wine making regions in England are in Hampshire, Kent and Sussex and here vineyard property in boutique vineyards with between 5 – 10 acres can be bought for between £750,000 and £1 million although prices can be even lower elsewhere in England.
Vineyard property can provide long-term benefits regardless of downturns in the economy or the wider marketplace whilst enabling you to live out the dream of owning your own vineyard. Whether a grand old estate in the traditional wine region of France, a boutique vineyard in southern Spain or a small winery in the chalk belt of the English South Downs, vineyard property is increasing in popularity for the discerning international investor and will continue to be an exceptionally good investment.