Rental-France Newsletter Number 2, August 9 1999

I read a lot about the Y2K problem and computers crashing, also I read how Champagne will not be available and special accommodation for the 'party' of the century will be impossible to find and an outrageous price.
Neither is true, I don't know about computers, but there is plenty of Champagne in the Supermarkets and we still have some super properties available for the millennium.
There are two properties on our pages which would be wonderful for the celebrations
http://www.rentals-france.com/accommodation/paraisette/
and
http://www.rentals-france.com/accommodation/monterel/
We also have a few smaller properties left to rent, do ask us.
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Home exchange is an excellent way for the traveler to find good accommodation. By 'swapping' your home not only can you save money, but you know you are dealing with like minded folk who will offer good value and comfort, just as you offer the same to them. An excellent way to find property for exchange is to use the services of
http://www.holi-swaps.com/
a well established company who really care about the service they offer.
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Buying Village Houses.

French village houses in the South of France have evolved over centuries, it is only in the latter part of this century that building techniques have changed the style and construction, and the new building is usually grouped together outside the village.
In our village of Nizas, and all the surrounding villages here a craftsman of the 10th century would find that nothing had changed and he could have walked into a job on a building site anywhere in this region up until the beginning of this century, it is possible that even the local dialect would seem familiar.
Now, with the application of standard construction materials, pre-cast concrete and sophisticated machinery, France is at the leading edge of the application of efficient cost effective building to a high standard and at a fair price. However, this means for the hand crafted stone and tile properties of yesteryear it is increasingly difficult to find a tradesman to do the skilled and heavy work. Fo the few skilled masons, there are plenty of customers and the masons can charge (and usually do charge) what they like.
Many visitors who stay with us and who fall in love with this very special region think about buying a home here. Some people for vacations, some for retirement and others for a sound investment. True, the prices seem low (they are beginning to rise rapidly) for a genuine medieval or 17th century house with original fireplaces, beams and carved stone windows. But, be very careful. The cost of restoration or repair is several times more expensive than building new. For example, a modest modern villa of 1000 square feet would cost, excluding land, would cost $80 per square foot to build to a very high standard, fully tiled, portico etc and this would include gardens and a small pool. To renovate a similar village property you are starting to look at $300 per square foot and these properties do not have gardens, let alone a pool area. This is for a property in poor repair, there are some fine old buildings still for sale which do not need such a high level of expensive work, but it takes a skilled eye to see under the plaster and through the walls and it may not be in the interests of the local mason to tell you everything they know.
If you are coming for a vacation then problems with old buildings should be the furthest thing from you mind. A walk or bike ride up on the thyme scented plateau and a drink in the village bar at the end of the day should be much more important.
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WebCams

One of my future plans, along with several thousand other brilliant ideas, it to put a Web cam on the roof of our house looking out over the vineyards. It will not be very exciting and with French telephone charges (see last weeks newsletter) would be expensive, but I would like to share the sight of vines growing with you and the beauty and tranquillity of the French countryside, the light and the magic in the air.
Through the year the colors change in a complex and vibrant way, the chaotic patchwork sometimes looks like an Amish bedspread made by Kandinsky. I am sure if I looked hard enough I could see a vine grow as they can grow over 50 ft in a season. There is a superb site with the biggest listing of WebCams at:
http://www.i-spy.com/
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ADVERT

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To top it all off, Outpost.com has an auctions site where you can bid on computer products and win for low, low prices. OutpostAuctions is at
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Wine and Wine Tasting.

One of the most rewarding things you can do in this region of France is to follow the ' wine trails', going from village to village through some of the most breathtakingly beautiful parts of France and sampling the local wines from the local producers. This region, Languedoc, has been famous for its wines for centuries, not always for the best reasons. The wine here was so good in Roman times that the Emporers of Rome were forced by the local Italian wine cartel to put a severe tax on it. Before the Romans the Greeks and Phoenicians valued the wines here very highly and exported the wines in the jars (amphora) made in our local village of Aspiran.
But during the industrial revolution, encouraged by the French government, the classic vines were ploughed up and poorer high volume varieties planted. During the last 150 years through periods of boom and bust, local farmers made (and lost) their fortunes from poor low grade plonk sold to the French army and the factories of Northern France. The consumption in France was 3 liters a day (just under a gallon) of wine per working man every day, this included the lorry drivers, with predictable results, even today the French are preoccupied with the state of their liver as the main indication of their health.
During the 1970's a big change was started here, the poor varieties started to be ripped out and top quality grapes grown. The producers got together to learn modern techniques and combined these with the traditional methods so now this region produces some of the finest wines in the world. The perfect climate, the hillsides facing the sun and the soils with just the right balance of fertility and minerals blend together to produce superb wines once again. Fortunately for you the prices have not gone up as quickly as the quality has improved so you can find wonderful bargains with an excellent AOC selling for as little as 30 francs ($5) and a very good table wine for 18 francs ($2.60), a gallon of good wine can be bought for 80 francs ($13).
Many of the wines come from small vineyards, often less than 50 acres. These have sometimes been in the same family for centuries and the families still work the fields. You can visit many of these small-holdings and the farmer or his wife will welcome you and proudly invite you to taste the results of their labor. It is hoped that you will like their wines and that you will buy some from them, you are under no obligation whatsoever, but we believe it is only polite to purchase at least a carton (6 bottles) as these are working people and their time is valuable. On the other hand, the biggest wine makers here are the wine cooperatives, this movement started in the 1920's and now it is responsible for the production of most French wines. The quality is often just as high as the small family producers and most cooperatives have an exhibition and tasting area where you can sample their wines, see the machinery and often there is a museum as well. Here you need not feel under any obligation to buy.
You will need a car to get to most of the wine villages, obviously one of you is not going to sample the wines. We can recommend tours and find a chauffeur if you wish when you are here.
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The French Telephone System ( Part 2)