Vintage French Properties: Buying A Vineyard
Domaine Begude estate,
Languedoc-Roussillon
 Domaine Begude's Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, fruity little number that I felt compelled, strictly for research reasons you understand, to sample at some considerable length. And very pleasant sampling it was too.
Not being a wine guru, I can't dilate on its complexities - though I can report that after a few chilled glasses the hard edges of the world had dissolved, I was glowing pleasantly and had a rather foolish and contented smile on my face.
Matthew Jukes of the Wine List 2005, who can talk about wines with more authority than I can muster, has this to say about their equally fine Chardonnay:
"Impeccably balanced and pinned together with sublime and invigorating lime-juice acidity. The result is brilliant and awesome value & a stunning wine with a brilliant heavy glass bottle and a classy label."
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From Finance To Fruit
James and Catherine Kinglake
 This fine French tipple, which even über chef Raymond Blanc has good things to say about, is made by an English couple, James and Catherine Kinglake, who bought the 23 hectare (56 acres) estate back in 2003.
James used to work in the City selling European stocks and shares but he got bored with the world of high finance and decided a change was called for.
Adam Dakin of Vignobles Investissement, who market their vineyards in Britain through Jackson Stops & Staff, was the man who guided the Kinglakes through the French countryside. When he showed them an estate in Limoux, Languedoc-Roussillon, they knew it was the one.
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 "We viewed about 30-40 vineyards during the summer of 2003. We wanted somewhere in the South of France, which has a great climate and the property is cheaper.
"We decided on this vineyard because we'd drunk the wine and were impressed. I'm a salesman and felt I had to believe in the product," James explains.
The estate is idyllically located high in the foothills of the Pyrenees and the couple now live in a splendid old French farmhouse running to 10,000 square feet.
They farm organically, make 90,000 bottles of wine a year, and reckon they've finally found the perfect lifestyle:
"We have the mountains on one side, with skiing in the Pyrenees, and the Med is an hour away. Carcassonne airport is nearby so it's easy to travel to Britain and the wine itself is now being sold in Britain.
"Oddbins stock the Sauvignon Blanc and the Chardonnay is available from Goedhuis & Co (020 7793 7900)," says James, who doesn't seem to be exactly pining for the cut and thrust of the City.
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Buying a Vineyard
 Not bad going for a couple who had no experience of winemaking and only limited experience of France. But how does one go about buying a vineyard and how difficult is it to make a success of the venture?
Adam Dakin, who's been in the business both as a winemaker and an estate agent for more than 15 years, says there are plenty of vineyards on the market but finding one that's interesting is tricky:
"If you simply want a winery with a block of land then there's plenty - but land, buildings, and a winery on an unpolluted site is more difficult - unpolluted visually, that is, with no TGV lines (fast train line), wind turbines and the like".
On the business side of things, Adam notes that making good wine isn't difficult but making a really good wine is a different matter. There is, he says, too much wine being produced so if you do fancy the lifestyle you had better be prepared to work at it:
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 "Languedoc-Roussillon produces the same volume as the whole of the US - there's a misbalance between supply and demand. I tell people that unless you're willing to get up and sell it every day, forget it.
"Marketing is key. We can set buyers up with a full technical team to make the wine, but they'll need to sell it themselves. The ideal estate is probably about 20 hectares - that will produce 130,000 bottles per year
"You should have at least £500,000 in your pocket - you'll get a vineyard for one to two million euro or above - but prices vary according to size, the scale of buildings and so on; there's no limit to what you can pay."
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British Winemakers in Languedoc-Roussillon
 Making a success of it is certainly a challenge but that hasn't stopped an influx of British buyers from establishing a significant presence in the Languedoc-Roussillon region.
The pioneer was undoubtedly Bertie Eden, great nephew of former Prime Minister Anthony Eden, who through Vignobles Investissement has acquired a number of estates - it was Eden who sold Domaine Begude to the Kinglakes.
Others have followed, including Graham Nutter, a City financier who now owns Domaine de Saint Jacques d'Albas in Laure Minervois; and John Hegarty, founder of PR agency Bartle, Bogle and Hegarty (they did the Nick Kamen Levis ad), who runs Domaine de Chamans in Minervois.
Jonathan and Anne James run Domaine Saint Hilaire, a 70 hectare estate in the heart of the Appellation area Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence; and Fred Brown, a property developer who left London without speaking a word of French, now owns Domaine de la Sauvageonne in the Coteaux du Languedoc Terrasses du Larzac.
What attracts them is nicely summed up by James Kinglake: "I work harder here than I did in the City, but I'm my own boss and every day is different. Also, the people in this business are all really decent - you just don't come across the aggression and arrogance that you find in the City. The quality of life is wonderful."
If you'd like to join this expatriate group of winemakers, Jackson Stops & Staff are currently marketing some beautiful properties with vineyards. Below is a list of issues to bear in mind before you make the leap:
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Top Tips: Buying a vineyard in France
1.
Prices start at around £500,000, though you should think in terms of one to two million euro or above for a vineyard in Languedoc-Roussillon (double the price for areas like Provence).
2.
The ideal size is about 20 hectares - that will produce 130,000 bottles a year.
3.
Attached properties are usually French farmhouses (Mas); an estate with a Chateau will be a lot more expensive.
4.
There are two levels of land - Vin de Table and AOC (Appelation d'origine Controlee). With Vin de Table land you can declare Vin de Table or Vin de Pays wine, depending on the grape varieties planted. Adam Dakin reckons the categories are only important in the French market.
5.
When you buy remember the deal can take quite a while to go through but the vines don't stop growing. It is, says James Kinglake, important to have an arrangement in place with the vendor to farm the estate before you're the official owner.
6.
If you plan to make this a viable business, marketing is key. You will have to work hard to sell your wine in a competitive market.
7.
It can be an expensive business to run - despite a background in City finance, James Kinglake says he underestimated the costs - especially the cost of employing people in France.
8.
It is probably worth paying a premium for an estate with good vines and an established reputation and distributor.
9.
Vineyards hold their value well - even if the winemaking isn't a success the land and property will increase in value in Languedoc-Roussillon. Prices are currently rising 25-30 per cent p.a.
10.
There is a respected winemaking course run by
Plumpton College.
Michael O'Flynn
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