Wineries and vineyards for sale in France

France has currently 40,000 wineries and 800,000 hectares of vineyards for wine production, being it the second largest country in the world in terms of vineyard area, behind Spain and closely followed by China.

The system of designations of origin for agricultural products began in France with the 1905 law, which created the Appellations d'Origine Contrôlées (AOC). The European Union has extended this French principle to the rest of the EU countries and each country has its own appellation system.

Wine classifications in France follow European regulations: the agriculture matter is under the competence of the European Commission and as such governs agriculture throughout the EU. Since 2009, wines are classified into three categories: wines without geographical indication, wines with protected geographical indication (IGP) and wines with controlled designation of origin (AOC).

The institute responsible for French appellations, for wine or other agricultural products, is the INAO (Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité), under the aegis of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.

The classification of French wine appellations is as follows:

Vins de France

This term covers wines without geographical indication (GI), under the control of FranceAgriMer.

Wines under protected geographical indication (IGP)

Under the control of the INAO; very often a stepping stone to the AOC.

Wines with a controlled designation of origin (AOC)

Under the control of INAO.

• Generic AOC (such as AOC Bordeaux, Burgundy, Alsace, Beaujolais, etc.).
• Regional AOC (such as Coteaux du Tricastin, Côtes du Forez, Médoc, etc.).
• Communal or local AOCs (such as the village AOCs of Chablis, Margaux, Etoile, Cassis, etc.)
• AOCs of the villages of Chablis, Margaux, l'Etoile, Cassis, etc.

*Within the AOCs, there is an internal system distinguishing between "Crus", "Premiers crus" and "Grands crus" which differs from region to region. In general, a cru is understood as a vineyard of superior quality, a parcel or a terroir. In Burgundy, Grand Cru and Premier Cru are owned by several people, whereas in Bordeaux, a Cru is an individual property.

The concept of terroir is not a classification but a very French notion that allows the personality of each wine to be recognised through several variables such as the grape variety, the soil on which it is grown, the microclimate of that particular place, the environment of the land and the way it protects the vineyard, the know-how of the local population, its history and culture, and many other variables such as the quality of the chai or the oak casks.

In Burgundy, the terroir is often delimited in well identified parcels and the synonym "climat" is often used. Some are named after a specific vineyard or locality and may be classified at different levels such as: unclassified or generic vineyards, "premiers crus" and "grands crus".

In the Bordeaux region, terroirs are identified by the name of the vineyard or Château. In addition, there are a multitude of classifications, the most important being that of the red grands crus of the Médoc and the sweet wines of Sauternes, proclaimed in 1855 under the auspices of Napoleon III.

Within our portfolio of wineries for sale in France, you can find quality specialist wine estates in well-known appellations such as AOC Cahors, AOC Madiran, AOC Jurançon, AOC Bergerac, AOC Côtes de Provence, AOC Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence, AOC Languedoc, AOC Châteauneuf-du-Pape, AOC Côtes du Rhône, AOC Côtes du Rhône Villages, AOC Bordeaux supérieur, AOC Entre-deux-mers, AOC Graves, AOC Pessac-Léognan, AOC Saint-Émilion, AOC Margaux, and more.

If you are interested in buying a winery or a vineyard in France or if you want to sell your own winery, please contact our team. We will help you in your search and accompany you through the whole process of buying or selling a vineyard or winery in France.