Updated 2 June 2026 — this article now incorporates the full-year 2025 DVF data, sourced from our observatory of vine prices in France.
While many winegrowing projects are emerging in new regions across France, it is nonetheless not possible to plant vines freely everywhere in France. The system of planting authorisations, in effect since 2016, succeeded the former "planting rights". It aims to regulate wine production in each vineyard area but today allows vines to be planted in new regions. Here is a breakdown of planting authorisations. This is a regulation you absolutely must know if you are planning to buy a wine estate.
In 2007 the European Union decided to fully liberalise vine planting across Europe by abolishing "planting rights", that is, by allowing anyone, anywhere in Europe, to plant as much vineyard area as they wished. Faced with an outcry from European professionals, a system of regulation of vineyard areas was ultimately maintained at least until 2030.
Planting new vines had been prohibited since 1953. New "planting rights" could be granted by providing proof of economic outlets that would not disrupt the sector. In the event of vine grubbing-up, the winegrower was granted "planting rights" authorising them to replant an equivalent area, and these rights were transferable. The management bodies of each appellation defined eligibility and priority criteria.
Under the new system in place since 2016, the planting of new vines by each member state is authorised within the limit of 1% growth per year. The lifespan of these authorisations is greatly reduced (3 years instead of 8 previously) and they cannot be transferred. Holders of "planting rights" were able to convert them into "planting authorisations", and paper procedures were replaced by online procedures.
The maximum growth of 1% is defined at the national level. This area may be limited at national or local level in the event of excess supply or where there is a risk of significant depreciation of a geographical indication (PDO or PGI). Thus, after consulting the Management Bodies, a ministerial order each year defines the area that may be planted within each geographical zone (see the order of 28 February 2024) and according to PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) and wines without geographical indication.
The differences in authorised area are therefore very significant between vineyards:
Outside existing vineyards, the planting of new areas is most often limited only by the national cap of 1% of the vineyard area. It is therefore relatively simple at present to obtain planting authorisations in central and north-western France.
To plant your vines you must therefore check the limitations for each territory and obtain these so-called "planting authorisations" by submitting an application on the online portals (https://portailweb.franceagrimer.fr/portail/) within the allotted deadlines (generally in spring).
Plantings intended for experimentation, for family consumption (and similar), plantings of graft mother-vines, and areas planted that were lost due to expropriation in the public interest are exempt from prior planting authorisation.
The 1% growth of the national vineyard area opens up new prospects. The ongoing climate change is giving rise to projects in regions where plantings were historically very scarce, notably in Brittany, Normandy, and so on. Today, planting vines is subject to the law. It is important to find out the rules so that you can plant your vines fully legally. However, certain plantings are unrestricted outside defined winegrowing territories or even exempt from prior authorisation for certain specific reasons.
The strict framework governing planting authorisations has a direct consequence on the land value of vineyards: by limiting the expansion of areas, it sustains the scarcity of plots in production and supports prices per hectare. This is particularly visible in vineyards where authorisations are almost nil — notably Champagne and the major Bordeaux appellations — where land pressure is highest.
The DVF (Demandes de Valeurs Foncières) data for the full year 2025, analysed by our observatory of vine prices in France, illustrates this hierarchy very clearly. The national median price of vineyards stands at €23,985/ha in 2025, but the differences between vineyards directly reflect the tension between the supply of land and acquisition demand:
Conversely, in territories where planting authorisations are more easily obtained (vineyards without appellation tension, areas outside PGI), prices remain modest, consistent with the relative ease of access to vineyard land. The authorisation system is therefore one of the structural factors in the valuation of a wine estate, alongside the appellation and the quality of the terroir.
For a complete analysis of prices by vineyard, see our series on vine prices in France.
