Serrande Hills

property listed · SRD · desk since 1998

The Serrande is forty kilometres of ridge and valley planted almost entirely to vines. The old buildings are farm buildings — low, thick-walled, with small openings on the south side because the sun here is not a gift in August.

The newer houses, of which we generally hold two or three, are the interesting part of the market. They were built by owners who understood the climate: deep loggias, stone rather than render, pools sited to be swum in rather than photographed.

Prices here are decided by aspect and by water. A north-facing plot with a reliable borehole is worth more than a south-facing plot without one, and the difference is not small.

What it is actually like

Harvest runs from late August to the end of September. Tractors on the ridge roads from five in the morning.
Water rights attach to the plot, not the house. Always read them before you read anything else.
Mains drainage reaches about half the ridge. The rest is on treatment plants, which work well and need servicing.
The nearest town with a proper market is twenty minutes down the valley.

Journey times

Serrande town: 20 min by car
Regional airport: 55 min by car
Sablon: 3 h 10 by car
The coast: 1 h 40 by car

Buying with vines attached

Several plots carry a hectare or two of working vine. They can be leased back to a neighbouring producer, and usually are. We will tell you what the lease is actually worth before you decide it is romantic.