New York’s real estate has got nothing on Tuscany, which determines listing values based on much more than views and square footage, notes wine industry expert Cathy Huyghe for Forbes.
Using the property of Castello do Gabbiano in Tuscany’s Chianti Classico region as an example, Huyghe explains that historical factors can play a role in Tuscan real estate transactions, as many of the properties at stake have complex back stories dating to the Florentine republic. However it’s natural factors, like a vineyard’s soil composition, sun exposure and slope, that hold the most value—and among these, soil composition is king. As Huyghe notes, “even though properties can be located just on the other side of a road from each other, their soils and the resulting grapes can be very different.”
That said, current technology is allowing winemakers to make the most of the land they already hold. Using a microscope to examine the elements of a vineyard’s terrain, vintners can now determine which vine strains will be best suited to grow on the property accordingly. But will this mean a reprieve to the price of Tuscan buying land, which continues to spike ever-higher? Time is yet to tell. [Forbes] [Photo: Flickr/Jason Parrish]