Property potential pick
A surprisingly spacious old winegrower’s property in Aude has Ruth Wood dreaming of endless possibilities
What’s on your dream home wish list? Mine is full of contradictions. I’d like to have nature on my doorstep, but also neighbours. I’d like a spacious home with barns, workshop, garage, gîte and decent garden yet plonked into the dense heart of a pretty village where I could stroll to amenities. Period features would be important. But also energy efficiency. I’d love to be near mountains. Ooh, and the sea! But I’m not prepared to pay a premium price tag.
Lastly, I’d like a home where I can really make my mark and yet all the hard work is done. And a pool would be nice.
I can just imagine the colour draining from estate agents’ faces as I reel off this list of demands. “Dream on!” they’d mutter under their breath, before explaining that househunting involves compromise, even in a country as diverse as France.
And yet, check out this old winemaker’s property in Aude. It’s in a village in the renowned Corbières wine appellation area, which stretches from the foothills of the Pyrénées to the Mediterranean coast. This is an authentic Languedoc community with a grocery, bartabac and pizzeria, on the edge of a protected Natura 2000 site known for its birdlife. In other words, you’ve got nature and neighbours on your doorstep as well as basic amenities. And when I say ‘nature’, I mean the likes of the golden eagle, griffon vulture and Thekla’s lark in a rugged landscape dotted with pine forests, fragrant garrigue and Cathar castles.
Mediterranean beaches are a mere 35 minutes in one direction; Carcassonne 40 minutes in the other, and one of the most beautiful villages in France, Lagrasse, is just down the road.
But what is really surprising about this village house is the space, which runs to a whopping 696m 2 . That’s not the plot. It’s the size of the actua
