Clé France

One of the best (and most fun!) ways of getting to know France is through learning about its terroirs. Terroir is a French loanword in English that you might already be familiar with — especially if you are an oenophile — that loosely translates to a “sense of place”. In other words, terroir is the special characteristics of a particular place that allows it to produce agricultural products like wine, cheese, tea, coffee, etc.

Of course, the term terroir isn’t only applicable to France. But France’s various terroirs are so distinct from one another and so culturally rich that understanding all of its geographical and agricultural diversity will only make you fall more in love with the country.

Image From Uncalno Tekno at Flickr.com 

So today, I’ll be taking you on an introductory tour of some of the most important terroirs in France. And, as an oenophile myself, we will be focusing on the different appellations, or controlled regions, for wine production.

1. Languedoc and Roussillon

These two beautiful regions are on the Mediterranean coast and extend down to the border between France and Spain. Languedoc and Roussillon have been important winemaking centers for centuries, and the region has three times the area of vineyards in Bordeaux! In fact, there is evidence of grapevines in the region that date to the prehistoric era. This region is most famous for its reds and rosés and Roussillon in particular is known for its fortified sweet wines from areas such as Rivesaltes and Banyuls.

Property for sale in Languedoc Roussillon

2. Alsace

Unlike in most other regions in France, wines made in Alsace (on France’s eastern border with Germany) do have the grape on the label rather than just the region. The most famous grapes in the region are Muscat, Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Gewurtztraminer. Most of the grapes grown in this region are white, although there is some delicious Pinot Noir.

Property for sale near the Alsace region

3. Rhone

This region is situated in the Rhone River valley in southern France and is divided into the Northern Rhône and the Southern Rhone. Syrah is the grape of choice in the Northern Rhone, while the sunny Southern Rhone section is more about blends of grapes, usually including Grenache. If you’ve heard of the appellations Châteauneuf-du-Pape or Hermitage, these are both in the Rhone region.

Property for sale in Rhone Alpes

4. Champagne

Need I say more? Not all sparkling wine is Champagne, only the sparkling wine produced in the region of Champagne in the northeast of France. Winemakers in this region use the traditional method, called la methode champenoise, that is pretty labor intense and uses two fermentation processes to create delicious Champagne.

Property for sale near Champagne

5. Loire

The Loire region follows the Loire River from Nantes on the Atlantic coast to Orléans in northcentral France. Near Nantes, Muscadet is the star of the show, a refreshing white wine. The Central Vineyards of the region are known for their Sauvignon Blanc and Sancerre is the most well-known and expensive appellation in the region.

Property for sale in Pays de la Loire

6. Burgundy

To make it simple: “Red Burgundy” means Pinot Noir and “White Burgundy” means Chardonnay. Burgundy has had vineyards for centuries and the label on a bottle of Burgundy is inextricably linked with a particular piece of land in the region. This means that the land is split up into tiny parcels, owned by separate producers, and that this is reflected in the various labels of Burgundy.

Property for sale in Burgundy

7. Bordeaux

Did I save the best for last? Perhaps. The Bordeaux region  is known for producing the fanciest, most expensive, and (yes) most tasty wines in France (although this is debatable to some!). Why? Because Bordeaux first started classifying its wine estates in the region back in 1855 and all “growths” are tied back to this historical moment. This means that the grapevines in Burgundy are old…and expensive. Wine from Bordeaux is almost always made of blends of grapes including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec.

Property for sale in Bordeaux region

"Be a champion, Drink Responsibly"

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

This blog was originally posted on The French Language Blog pages.

Bonjour Sharon,

Service from you was a pleasure. All the agents I dealt with were efficient and very good. I highly recommend your agent in Manche (Lower Normandy) as it was her who came across the property we purchased. Would like to compliment everyone I dealt with thank you so much.

Kindest regards Janet Smith.

Psst - Have you seen our "Meet the Team" page?

Buying a Chateau, Manor House, Farmhouse, Cottage, Holiday Home, Lake or just a Plot of land in France is easy with Cle France, You can do the same, it is easy for you because WE guide YOU through the French Property Buying Process from the very start to completion and beyond!

And as several of our clients say "Follow your heart and make the move"!

For everything you need to know about French property visit www.clefrance.co.uk

Cle France have successfully supported me through the process from viewing to purchase on my recent first time purchase outside the UK.

As well as pointing me in the right direction on several fronts, I found it very reassuring to have them on my side supporting me with the most minor queries and recommended them very highly.

Matthew Bradshaw.

Psst - Have you seen our "Meet the Team" page?

Buying a Chateau, Manor House, Farmhouse, Cottage, Holiday Home, Lake or just a Plot of land in France is easy with Cle France, You can do the same, it is easy for you because WE guide YOU through the French Property Buying Process from the very start to completion and beyond!

And as several of our clients say "Follow your heart and make the move"!

For everything you need to know about French property visit www.clefrance.co.uk

Question:

Hi Alex, We are looking to sell our UK property early next year and live in our touring caravan in France whilst looking for a property to buy. I frequently look at your website and have seen some stunning property in our price range. Are Cle France able to help us with utilities, etc and also the actual reality of becoming a French resident? Many thanks for your advice, Helen

Answer:

Hi Helen, Many thanks for your message,

And yes, absolutely, we support our clients right the way through their property search, from initially arranging your viewing schedule, through to support during the purchasing process and help once you have competed: this includes transfer for utilities into your name, assistance with opening a bank account, insuring your property, health insurance and going through the residency process. In fact anything you may need we endeavour to help you.

I should add there is no charge for this support, and that you pay the same fees as a French person buying their home.

Once you have an idea of the dates of your visit let me know, and we’ll get started for you!

You can also download our Free Guide to Brexit PDF here.

Have you got a question?

If so we will answer it....

Simply click on the image below that takes you to the "Ask Alex" page, fill out the form and I will get back to you very soon.

For everything you need to know about French property visit www.clefrance.co.uk

Question: 

Hello Alex, My dream has always been to live in France but work in the UK. My job allows me a lot of flexibility and I can work from home a lot so I don't need to be in my office every week. I was planning my move within the next 2 years and was interested in southern France such as the Dordogne not far from an airport.

However, as our current government has been hell bent on acting like a lunatic by leaving Europe I'm wondering if my dreams will now be shattered?

Could you tell me how difficult is it going to be to move my main residence to France if this current idiotic government decides to leave the EU without a deal?

I feel so strongly about this and staying in the EU that I would even consider becoming a French citizen if I was allowed to.

Most of the money I would need would come from my UK house sale, so I would have around £90,000 available.

Thanks, Yours sincerely, Andrew.

Answer: 

Hi Andrew, Brexit is a big question, and quite complex for me to try to answer succinctly: but there are quite a few articles on our blog pages on the website from various sources, especially from our legal contacts, so do have a browse over those, though with the situation changing so much they may be a bit out of date in some respects.

My own view is that 'BREXIT’ may or may not happen, nothing would surprise me anymore. And what has surprised me most is that for us nothing much has changed, British people are still moving to France to live, in fact we've just had our busiest month in 8 years, I think there’s a degree of people moving as quickly as possible whilst they still can.

But whatever happens the process of withdrawing from the EU will not be a speedy one, and the residency of those ex-pats living in France and elsewhere in the EU will no doubt continue to form a part of that negotiation process.

When I moved to France a residency permit known as the ‘Carte De Sejour’ was required; it was a relatively straightforward application process (or at least as straightforward as a French bureaucratic process can be!) Perhaps this would be re-introduced for British residents in the future, or it may be that you would need to apply for residency in the same way that Americans, Australians and other non EU countries do, for now we simply do not know. Of course owning holiday homes abroad will remain as it is today, there is no restrictions for non EU members on owning a house in France.

Clearly there remain many questions to be answered, and fine details to be ironed out. But what is becoming apparent is that this will be a long process, possibly years in the making, and we will of course bring further news as and when it becomes available during the coming months. But in the meantime life continues much as it always has done: the British have always lived, worked and retired to sunnier climes, and that will doubtless continue, even if some administrative aspects of live abroad may change.

You can also download our Free Guide to Brexit PDF here.

Have you got a question?

If so we will answer it....

Simply click on the image below that takes you to the "Ask Alex" page, fill out the form and I will get back to you very soon.

For everything you need to know about French property visit www.clefrance.co.uk