languedoc roussillon

France is fortunate to have a housing market which is stable. Its consistency is set to continue for years to come. Low French property prices are still an attraction and languedoc roussillon the prospects of strong growth are reassuring for the overseas property buyer. France still offers investors a good opportunity to benefit from its rising property values, there is one region that seems to be becoming more popular every year and languedoc roussillon that is the region of Languedoc-Roussillon

About Languedoc-Roussillon

The Languedoc-Roussillon region of France has been named the top region for the strongest growth in the French property market .Languedoc-Roussillon is located in Southern France and languedoc roussillon stretches along the Mediterranean to provide a warm climate and languedoc roussillon beautiful coastal scenery. Major cities of Languedoc-Roussillon include Perpignan, Nimes -which is a city on the border of the provinces of Languedoc and languedoc roussillon Provence , Carcassone Toulouse, Avignon, Narbonne, and languedoc roussillon Beziers - the main cities of Languedoc Roussillon, South France.

Languedoc-Roussillon a region that has it all

Languedoc-Roussillon region is blessed with mountains, rivers and languedoc roussillon lakes, ancient cities, towns, villages, thermal springs, abbeys, and languedoc roussillon cathedrals, chateaux and languedoc roussillon castles, naturism, and languedoc roussillon holiday resorts Languedoc-Roussillon facts Region capital: Montpellier Region area: 27,376 sq. km. Region population: 2,295,648 Departments (capital): Aude 11 (Carcassonne) Gard 30 (Nimes) H�rault 34 (Montpellier) Loz�re 48 (Mende) Pyr�n�es-Orientales 66 (Perpignan) Montpellier - capital of Languedoc-Roussillon

The capital of the region is booming

The capital of Languedoc-Roussillon is Montpellier here the pace of life is slow and languedoc roussillon the quality of life is superb. The architecture is a mix of the old and languedoc roussillon the new and languedoc roussillon they mix superbly. Montpellier, is booming, and languedoc roussillon was recently voted France's most popular city to live in - thanks to its beautiful and languedoc roussillon relaxed 'Centre Historique' centre, chic shops and languedoc roussillon close proximity to the beach

Buy French property and languedoc roussillon you are set to win

The associated body of real estate agencies in the country (FNAIM) named the Languedoc as the top region for, long term growth, with figures showing the region enjoying 10.3% growth in house prices for the first quarter of 2006, putting it far and languedoc roussillon away into the top spot for investment.

A survey by UK bank Abbey National also indicated that the Languedoc-Roussillon region was the most popular area for UK overseas property buyers.The survey revealed that the majority of these buyers were willing to invest between �50,000 and languedoc roussillon �150,000 in region's property.

The new French property buyers

The region has seen arrival of new nationalities buying French property in Languedoc Roussillon region. Property buyers now include people from Singapore, Japan, Australia and languedoc roussillon South Africa. The traditional foreign buyers in the area, English, Irish, Scottish, Belgians, Dutch and languedoc roussillon Germans are also keeping the market strong. The climate has the French buying property here as well; they tend to be relocating from Paris and languedoc roussillon the north of the country� The strong annual growth, combined with a strong rental market, where a 4 bedroom villa with a pool rents for 1000 euros plus in high season, makes this area an investor�s dream.

Buying French property seems to never lose its attraction this is despite the emergence of several new European markets where prices are low and languedoc roussillon the short term profits are high. Overseas property buyers seem to put profits second place to the location of their homes. France is a wonderful location to buy a second home for retirement or as a holiday home the Languedoc-Roussillon region at this time appears to be very popular. France is a huge country and languedoc roussillon each region has something to offer the overseas buyer.

Copyright 2006 Nicholas Marr

If I told you that France's most exciting vineyards were to be found in the CDRV then you'd either think I was talking about a new chain of supermarkets or you'd just nod wisely and languedoc roussillon open another bottle of 'Clot de l'Oum'. But more and languedoc roussillon more wine-lovers are hearing the stories and languedoc roussillon finding stray bottles that confirm the rumours: France has found a terroir where the old rules no longer apply and languedoc roussillon new methods can be experimented with.

We are talking about the "Cotes de Roussillon Villages" appellation in the southern-most part of France, between the Corbi�res and languedoc roussillon the Spanish border. On the fringes of this official region there are other smaller, wilder and languedoc roussillon untamed vine-growing areas with tongue-twisting names like 'Vins de Pays des Coteaux de Fenouill�des' that are attracting interest from wine-makers from as far afield as Australia and languedoc roussillon South Africa. In what Wine writer Jancis Robinson has described as 'spaghetti western terrain' young wine-makers are experimenting new techniques with old established grapes like Carignan and languedoc roussillon Mourv�dre, reducing the yield to extract concentrated flinty, mineral wines of extraordinary strength and languedoc roussillon character.

Also within the CDRV appellation is the tiny appellation of Maury, a sweet dark dessert wine, traditionally aged and languedoc roussillon 'maderis�' in oak barrels left of the roofs of the farms. Tastes have changed and languedoc roussillon the younger vignerons feel free to bend the rules and languedoc roussillon use this schist-rich land to produce exceptional reds. Officials who control French wine appellations appear to be turning a blind eye, knowing that if France can't innovate and languedoc roussillon follow world trends then the New World wines will win out. Perhaps it's due to the region's heretical past when 13th century religious dissenters of the Cathar persuasion defied central authority with their tenacious movement and languedoc roussillon held out in mountain-top strongholds against the power of Rome. These Cathar castles still dominate the Agly valley at Qu�ribus and languedoc roussillon Puilaurens, dramatic witnesses to past struggles.

Roussillon's wines are not limited to the CDRV however: there are the 'other' CDR wines in the vast plain north and languedoc roussillon south of Perpignan which include some stunning whites (the Muscat Sec) as well as some very drinkable reds. Towards the coast we find the mini-appellations of Collioure around the seaside village of the same name and languedoc roussillon the sweet white dessert wines of Banyuls. Chocolate lovers will note that of all the wines in the world only two are generally recommended to go with any chocolate dish: Maury and languedoc roussillon Banyuls.

The French have a wonderful tradition of good food with many delicious regional specialities.

Eating in the Languedoc Roussillon or Provence regions, you're likely to come across the speciality of Cassoulet. It's a wonderful country recipe that's a combination of beans, pork, sausages and languedoc roussillon , of course, garlic and languedoc roussillon herbs. Some have called it a peasant stew, but it far exceeds that humble name.

This is a wonderful dish to cook in the cold of winter as you can leave it warming whilst you're out and languedoc roussillon tuck in when you return.

However, this is not a dish for the reluctant as it's quite time-consuming to prepare - yet one taste will have you hooked and languedoc roussillon enjoying it regularly.

Traditional French Cassoulet recipe

Ingredients

• 500g tin of cannelini beans
• 500g belly pork, cut into 4cm squares
• 500g lamb pieces or mutton
• 250g chopped smoked bacon (cooking bacon is fine)
• 450g Toulouse sausage, cut into pieces
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp provencal herbs
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and languedoc roussillon freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 180C, GM4
2. Place the beans, onion, garlic, bacon and languedoc roussillon herbs in a pan
3. Add 500ml water
4. Bring to the boil and languedoc roussillon simmer for ten minutes
5. Fry the belly pork and languedoc roussillon lamb pieces in olive oil
6. Cook in the oven for ten minutes
7. Add the Toulouse sausage and languedoc roussillon cook for a further twenty minutes
8. Place all cooked ingredients into a large casserole
9. Add more water, if necessary
10. Cover & cook for one and languedoc roussillon a half to two hours on a low heat
11. Check regularly to ensure that there's sufficient water
12. Serve!

If you're out of time, it's possible to buy large tins of this traditional meal when you're across the Channel at the French supermarkets - don't miss out!

If you are looking for fine French wine and languedoc roussillon food, consider the Languedoc-Roussillon region of south central France. You may find a bargain, and languedoc roussillon I hope that you�ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a local red Pinot Noir.

Among the eleven wine-growing regions of France Languedoc-Roussillon ranks number four in total vineyard acreage. This area, which includes the Midi was traditionally known for generating immense amounts of rather dubious table wine called vin ordinaire. Recently, in part because of Australian winemakers, the region has started to produce a lot of fine wine. A few weeks ago a salesman offering free samples greeted me at my nearby wine store. While I hadn�t planned to review yet another Languedoc-Roussillon wine so soon after the two others, I was particularly intrigued by this wine�s classification and languedoc roussillon its grape variety.

The wine bottle proudly displayed a sticker proclaiming its Gold ranking in a national contest for Vin de Pays (Country Wines) in 2006. You may recall from the initial article in this series (I Love French Wine and languedoc roussillon Food � Launching a Series) that Vin de Pays is a relatively recent French classification for wines of promise that for one reason or another don�t meet the stricter requirements of the presumably better classifications. Even though almost one third of French wine is classified as Vin de Pays we don�t get too many of them here. I smelled a potential bargain.

The grape variety was Pinot Noir. I know of a relatively recent exhaustive list of Languedoc-Roussillon grape varieties comprising over thirty entries, some famous, others obscure. Pinot Noir was absent, surely not by oversight. Pinot Noir tends to be a cool-weather grape found in places such as Champagne and languedoc roussillon Burgundy in France, and languedoc roussillon Oregon in the United States. In our various article series we reviewed Pinot Noirs from non-traditional areas including Germany, Italy, and languedoc roussillon France (Alsace). We�ll see below how a Languedoc-Roussillon Pinot Noir stacks up.

Narbonne is a city of about fifty thousand that had been a major city in old Roman times. Sadly little of its Roman past remains. You�ll have to be satisfied with �modern� sites such as the Fourteenth Century Cath�drale St-Just-et-St-Pasteur (St-Just�s and languedoc roussillon St-Pasteur�s Cathedral), the tallest cathedral in all of southern France. Nearby is the Palais des Archev�ques (Archbishop�s Palace) that houses art and languedoc roussillon archeology museums. If you�re feeling ambitious climb the almost two hundred steps in the dungeon for a prisoner�s eye view of the surroundings. The sculpture museum in the former church Notre Dame de la Mourgui� displays Roman and languedoc roussillon Gallic treasures of all sorts. The twenty two kilometer (fifteen mile) Robine Canal, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, flows into the much longer Canal du Midi (Midi Canal), similarly classified. Charles Trenet, a famous French singer and languedoc roussillon songwriter was born in Narbonne. Leon Blum, a three time French Prime Minister was born in Paris but elected to Parliament from Narbonne.

Before reviewing the Languedoc-Roussillon wine and languedoc roussillon imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and languedoc roussillon a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Gambas (Prawns). For your second course savor Loup en Papillote (Sea Bass cooked in Foil). And as dessert indulge yourself with P�ches � la Minervoise (White Peaches with Muscat Wine and languedoc roussillon Raisins).

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and languedoc roussillon review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Partiarche Pinot Noir Vin de Pays 2004 12% about $9

Let�s start by quoting the marketing materials. Tasting Note: Pale ruby color; light cherry and languedoc roussillon spice aromas, sweet fresh cherry flavour, soft finish. Serving suggestion: Serve with cold roast beef.

My first meal consisted of cold beef spare ribs with cracked peppercorns, potato salad, and languedoc roussillon cucumber and languedoc roussillon onion salad. My first reaction was � this is a real Pinot Noir at a great price. Its light acid did a great job of cutting the congealed fat. It was shorter and languedoc roussillon less complex than other Pinot Noirs that cost a lot, lot more.

The next meal was cold barbequed chicken with cucumber and languedoc roussillon onion salad, and languedoc roussillon potato salad. There was a lot of extract and languedoc roussillon quite a good length. I tasted tobacco and languedoc roussillon dark fruits.

The final meal involved grilled hamburgers with spicy Thai sauce, a cole slaw advertised as a health cole slaw � whatever that means, and languedoc roussillon once again potato salad. In this case spicy meant really spicy. The sauce was too assertive; I had to remove most of it. While I like spices I want the wine to be there. Once that problem was solved the wine was fine. I tasted black cherries rather than the sweet cherries that I had been promised. I was not disappointed. I also tasted the underbrush and languedoc roussillon that didn�t disappoint me either.

My first cheese pairing was with a local Asiago cheese that I prefer to the native Italian versions that I have tried. Perhaps in Italy� The Pinot Noir was powerful with dark fruit. Then I went to a goat�s milk cheese, a Palet de Chevre from the Poitou Charentes region of central-western France. I might have guessed that the cheese was a Camembert rather than a goat�s milk cheese. Be that as it may, the wine became too acidic and languedoc roussillon lost its flavor. Then I paired the Pinot Noir with a nutty tasting Swiss Gruyere. At first the same phenomenon occurred, but later became less pronounced. I thought that perhaps the wine was starting to decline, but I finished the bottle on its own and languedoc roussillon the fruit came back in force.

Final verdict. We have a winner. We have a bargain. The two are related. At twice the price I wouldn�t bother. But at the present price I�ll be coming back. And I�ll be looking for another Vin de Pays to try soon.

2006 has been an interesting year in the Languedoc. The demand for property is still very high, mainly from the British, but also from the Irish, Dutch and languedoc roussillon , newcomers, the Swedes. The availability of property for sale has been very mixed, with the peak time of summer having very few good properties to sell, but post summer, the market has picked up enormously and languedoc roussillon there is now a great selection at all budgets.

Selling prices have been quite sensitive too. The boom of 4 years ago has given the taste for sellers to try and languedoc roussillon price their property at the maximum. The reality this year has been that the asking price was hardly ever reached, with agreed selling prices of about 5-15% off the asking price. This meant that some people took their homes off the market, and languedoc roussillon are happy to wait until the market picks up.

The British buyers have been less in evidence. Our research shows that this may be due to potential buyers consolidating their debts, over draughts and languedoc roussillon mortgages rather than spend their money on �luxuries�.

Lets have a look at some of the statistics:

Here we have indications of sold properties in the Narbonne area. These prices are for houses only and languedoc roussillon are the price per square metre

Price range Variation over 3 months Variation over 6 months Variation on 1 year

Lowest price 2 073,00 � 0,00% +3,23% +0,87%

Highest price 2 769,00 � 0,00% +0,69% -5,92%

Average price 2 395,00 � +1,75% +3,17% +2,05%

Properties sold in Carcassonne area. Once again, price per square metre for houses sold.

Price range Variation over 3 months Variation over 6 months Variation on 1 year

Lowest price 1 600,00 � +29,00% +18,75% +29,00%

Highest price 2 000,00 � -7,50% +6,95% -2,25%

Average price 1 804,00 � +4,60% +6,15% +11,42%

Houses sold in Ginestas . This is a town very popular with British buyers. Once again, price per square metre.

Price range Variation over 3 months Variation over 6 months Variation on 1 year

Lowest price 2 000,00 � 0,00% +36,65% -47,60%

Highest price 2 593,00 � 0,00% -2,85% -28,65%

Average price 2 222,00 � 0,00% +4,10% -41,49%

Let�s focus now on the Languedoc. In 2004 and languedoc roussillon 2005, this region has shown the highest increase in property prices for the whole of France.

� It is one of the most varied regions
� It has the longest season and languedoc roussillon the most hours of sunshine
� Served by 4 main airports, with a choice of scheduled and languedoc roussillon budget airlines using these airports
� A great choice of beaches on the Mediterranean
� Characterful villages
� Huge amount of history (uniquely the Cathars)
� Skiing in Andorra close by as well as the border into Spain

What type of properties are potential buyers looking for?

� The most popular is still the holiday/secondary home. This is usually a minimum of 2 bedrooms, located near shops and languedoc roussillon in a village. It must have an outside space, usually in the form of a terrace or small courtyard. Easy maintenance and languedoc roussillon confidence when empty that it will secure.
� Potential of buying a larger home that can produce some income is gaining in popularity. This takes many different forms. B & B (Chambre d�hote) and languedoc roussillon rental (Gite) properties are proving a good source of income, covering all out goings and languedoc roussillon , in most cases, showing a yearly profit. The restrictions here seem to be solely what potential purchasers can realisticly afford to buy.
� Many people are leaving their country of origin and languedoc roussillon starting a new life in the Languedoc. The days of buying a ruin for �10 000 are over. You can find houses/barns that need a complete makeover, with prices starting around �40 000. Depending on the state of this type of property, one can have this renovation work done, to your specifications, for around 2.5 to 3 times the purchase price- but this does vary hugely.
� New builds are also popular- with the current build price of �1000 per m2.

To summarise, the Languedoc is a very good area to invest in. It is to be viewed on a medium to long-term investment. The cost of living is cheaper that the UK and languedoc roussillon the quality of life is far superior. Take a serious look at what is available, affordable and languedoc roussillon we are sure that you will be pleasantly surprised.