According to Yvon Mau, a famous Bordeaux wine producer, as much as one-third of the region’s Bordeaux wine estates are up for sale.

In a recent article the company was highlighting the tough situation faced by the majority of producers in Bordeaux who fall below the classed growth tiers, by remarking that “people are retiring and the next generation don’t want to follow them”.

The company’s managing director Philippe Laqueche suggested that this natural shrinkage could have a positive effect on the profitability of France’s largest AOC, suggesting that many of the vineyards being pulled up were on poorer terroirs.

“My feeling is that we have too many hectares in Bordeaux for quality and demand,” he said, adding that vineyards close to urban areas were also in demand for real estate development.

However, a director of Bordeaux property agent Vineyard Intelligence, added context to this statistic, saying: “There are 8,200 producers in Bordeaux – are one-third of them on the market? I’m not sure. But in terms of people who, if they thought they could sell, would probably say yes”.

He mostly suggested that vineyard owners approaching retirement and who wish to keep their family estate intact take up EU or local subsidies.

For those without their own winemaking facilities, this presents an attractive alternative to the modest prices paid by cooperatives, who receive around 20 per cent of Bordeaux’s grape harvest.

The director also argued that such acquisitions from foreign, capital-rich investors were a good thing for the region, saying: “New owners are bringing in new markets. These guys are buying what other people wouldn’t be keen on buying.”

Following a steady increase from 100,000 hectares in 1981 to its peak of 125,000 hectares in 2007, the CIVB figures show a steady decline in Bordeaux’s vineyard area, which had shrunk to 115,100 hectares by 2009, largely thanks to subsidies.