Once you’ve purchased your new property, with help from your chartered South of France Surveyor, you will likely want to celebrate the start of your new and exciting life. This may involve a delicious meal with your family, in which case, you’re going to want some great wine with which to toast the future.

However, in a new part of the world, with the potential for a language barrier to communication, it may be difficult to know where to source that perfect bottle. With this in mind, here are some great places to source fine wine in three of the South of France’s main population centres.

#1 Bordeaux

If you find yourself in the Bordeaux region, there are a number of great wine shops where you can purchase some fine bottles. L’Intendant, Nicolas, Badie and Bordeaux Millesimes are all located in the city centre of Bordeaux and specialise in fine wines costing upwards of €20. There are plenty of locations also to be found in Saint Emilion, although they can be overpriced and mainly marketed to the tourist crowds.

There is also a small chain of warehouse style wine shops called Cash Vin, with five or six locations in the region, where you can source a wide range of wines from all over France.

#2 Toulouse

Moving east, Toulouse is also a great location to find a good bottle of wine. In this region you are definitely going to want to try the famous and superb rosés of Provence. You can find all the usual chains of wine shops, such as Nicolas etc, where you can buy specialist wines local to the region.

However, if you want something really special then you should head to the specialist cellars La Cour des Vins, and Les Vins de la Cour which can be found between St Michel and St Agne. Aside from a wide range of specialist wines and spirits, they can also organise tasting evenings, resplendent with a range of exquisite wines to sample, complete with a buffet of cold meats and cheeses.

#3 Montpellier

Further east again lies the South of France’s wine capital, Montpellier. In such a prestigious region, no simple wine cellar will suffice. No, when in Montpellier you must go straight to the source and visit one of the areas sublime vineyards.

By far the most famous of these wine producers is Languedoc Wines. Set between the Mediterranean and the Massif Central, the vineyard has been recognised since 2009 as an award-winning tourist and wine lovers’ destination. With tons of advice on things like wine and food pairing, Languedoc is an essential source of fantastic wines.

South of France Surveyor

If you are yet to begin your journey towards owning your own luxurious South of France property, then Charles Mackintosh has over 30 years’ experience as a South of France surveyor.

Please get in touch today.