Best Place to Retire: A Vineyard of Your Own For Less Than $100,000

When thinking about the best place to retire, the dream of owning a vineyard often crosses wine-lovers’ minds. Whether you want to simply tend a few acres of your own grapes…or oversee a productive vineyard from the comfort of the ranch house…you'll be pleased to learn that the vineyard lifestyle doesn't have to come with a Napa Valley price tag.

I asked IL's roving correspondents to detail for you their favorite vineyard picks right now where you can buy your own vineyard for less than $100,000.

Their report follows.

Best Place to Retire Pick #1: Italy

Where better for a wine lover than among some of Italy’s most beautiful medieval hill towns? Imagine pressing your own grapes, then lounging on a shady terrace, sampling last year’s vintage.

It needn’t remain a fantasy. There’s one location, in a lovely but almost unknown region, where a small vineyard costs $97,500. And no reason to dither over red or white. This one is planted with Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and Trebbiano vines. You’ve got both.

The vineyard I’m picturing is near a village called Introdacqua, and the half-acre plot of land also has a single-story dwelling. Although needing refurbishment, its roof and walls are sound. With basic building costs around $83 to $111 per square foot, it wouldn’t cost a fortune to fix.

Best Place to Retire Pick #2: France

If you’ve ever driven across France, you’ll have caught more than a glimpse of vine-covered slopes and valleys on your way through. If the idea of making your own wine seems like too much work…consider the next best thing—buy a house next door to a vineyard (with "free tasting" rights).

Sancerre is a quaint town of half-timbered houses perched 490 feet above the upper reaches of the Loire. The main square has a number of pastry shops, wine cellars, and realtors along the café terraces. From the walkway of the Porte César, you have panoramic views of the vineyards and villages that cover the slopes below. You can also see the Loire and one of the canals that cuts through the region. There’s an active tourist office and the Maison du Sancerre—the region’s wine center—regularly holds tastings and other events.

Houses here and in neighboring Saint-Satur farther down the slope are a lot more affordable than you would imagine. One small house on the edge of Sancerre for $36,000 was sold in less than a week, but there’s another of 720 square feet with exposed beams, an attic, and a yard and garage that just needs a little modernizing for $88,000.

Best Place to Retire Pick #3: Argentina

Few places on earth are suitable for quality wine production. The climate and soil need to be right, and vine cultivation and wine production expertise (ideally the experience of many generations) should be available locally. You also need a production and marketing infrastructure. Mendoza in Argentina has all of these in abundance.

Mendoza sits at the foot of the Andes 600 miles west of Buenos Aires. Soil and climate is perfect for wine production. Argentina's wine industry began here nearly 500 years ago. First developed by the Spanish, the French and Italians followed a couple of hundred years later. They came with vine cuttings and expertise from their home regions. Italians brought bonarda. The French came from the Bordeaux region and brought malbec (for which Mendoza has become famous).

Today there is a third wave of pioneers setting their sights on Mendoza. They are coming from all over the globe. The reason is simple: U.S. dollars buy 30-40 times more vineyard here than in Napa Valley. In fact, $5,000 will buy you an acre of vineyard in Mendoza.

Len Galvin
Managing Editor, IL Postcards

To read more IL articles about the best place to retire, see:

Own a Vineyard in Argentina for $5,000 an Acre

Is Mendoza the best place to retire?

Can I retire early?

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