Buying a vineyard: The nuts and bolts to keep in mind

Legislation and procedures vary from area to area, even within the same country, and estate agencies and local brokers can often provide help in this regard. Here are a few important aspects to consider, especially from a commercial point of view.

WHAT’S YOUR STRATEGY?

Is this just for fun? Do you want to make wine commercially? Do you even like Provence rosé? If you want to distribute wines directly, it could be time to look up that sommelier you once met. Adam Dakin of

Wine Objectives adds: ‘ What is the market you’re going to be aiming at?’ Check licensing laws, too.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK

Make time for due diligence. ‘Do the right homework at the outset,’ says Casa & Country’s Gemma Bruce. This might include estimated running costs or a vineyard health check. If you want to sell grapes, is there a contract already in place? Are the vines fit for your intended purpose? In northern California, it might cost $25,000-$50,000 per acre (0.4ha) to replant, says Kevin McDonald of Kevin M Properties.

PLANTING AND RIGHTS Vine planting is regulated in the EU. ‘Don’t presume you can plant vines without having the rights,’ says

Bruce, adding that it is sometimes possible to get state funding to replant older vineyards in Italy. EU rules have been relaxed slightly in recent years. ‘ That’s why you’re starting to see people planting outside Paris,’ says Dakin. Yet it can take several years for newly planted vines to translate into wine.

GET SPECIALIST ADVICE

From a trusted broker and specialist lawyer to a viticulture or environmental consultant, seek expert help. Even the best do this; the founders of Languedoc’s nowfamous Mas de Daumas Gassac, Aimé Guibert and his wife Véronique planted Cabernet Sauvignon on the advice of geologist Professor Henri Enjalbert in the early 1970s.

CHECK YOUR INSURANCE

If it’s potentially a commercial grape- growing operation, ‘a lot of lenders will want to see crop insurance in place’, says McDonald. This advice seems particularly pertinent in the context of extreme weather patterns related to climate change.

STOCK TAKE Check if existing wine stocks are included in the listing price or not. ‘ Negotiating [existing] stock is always difficult,’ says Dakin.