How much does a hectare of vineyard cost?
Depending on the region, the price of viticultural land changes dramatically. Let’s have a look at how much a hectare will set you back in France.
Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret: Burgundy wine between wisdom and ambition
Let’s go to the Côte d'Or, with a focus on Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret located in Vosne-Romanée, between the legendary Château du Clos Vougeot and the small village of Nuits-Saint-Georges. The family has been taking care of the vines for more than eight generations! The story begins in 1620. The reputation of Mongeard-Mugneret is due to its old-age, the finesse of its wines, the subtlety of its terroirs and the extent of its domain. The combination of the vines of Eugène Mongeard and his wife Edmée Mugneret gave birth to an important property of 30…
Clos Rougeard has officially been purchased by the Bouygues brothers
Martin and Olivier Bouygues confirmed purchasing Clos Rougeard, a mythical domain from the Loire. This announcement was highly awaited, as the Revue du Vin de France reported negotiations beginning of January. A new chapter for French vineyard history. Vines that have never seen any inputs Clos Rougeard is an 11-hectare domain located in Chacé a few kilometers away from Saumur. Its reputation was built on the wonderful work accomplished by the Foucault brothers: Jean-Louis (also known as "Charly") and Bernard (aka "Nady"), the 8th generation of vine growers settled on this great Saumur-Champigny…
French vineyard market: rising prices in 2016
The FNSafer has just published its long-awaited annual report on the French vineyard market prices. Here is a brief summary of figures and analysed trends for 2016. The FNSafer (National Federation of Land Development and Rural Settlement Companies) is a French association for rural properties allowing farmers to start in the rural, artisanal, agricultural or environmental sector by guiding them in the management of their project and providing them the requested tools and analysis. The report features a detailed analysis of the vineyard market. However, vineyards transaction specialist caution readers about the accuracy…
2017 vintage: French vineyard severely hit by frost
The spring frosts wreaked havoc across a large portion of the vineyards of eastern France, in Champagne, Burgundy, the Loire valley, Alsace, Jura... and even Languedoc-Roussillon and the South-West. Last week – during the night of Wednesday-Thursday 20 April, to be precise – a number of French wine regions were hit by frost. This event caused even more damage because of the precociously advanced state of the vines' vegetation cycle, as a result of the fine weather and high temperatures of previous weeks. Many regions affected by frost; some growers better…
Buying tips: if I like this type of wine, which appellations should I choose?
This is an easy question for wine connoisseurs, but for beginners, the multitude of French wine regions can seem overwhelming. It's natural for novices to wonder which regions to focus on if, for example, they like fruity reds or slightly acidic whites. Here are a few pointers to help you navigate the country's vineyards. As our aim is to give a general overview of France's major winegrowing regions, this guide is a little simplistic. But although exceptions can be found in every region, there are also some broad themes. We should also point…