There are those who plan to move to Yamhill County, and then there are those who want to live here and do something more ... like make their own wine.
If that’s your fancy, no worries: Yamhill County isn’t “full” yet of vineyards, according to Kelly Hagglund, an 18-year realtor who operates Kelly Group Real Estate in Newberg. Not only are there vineyards of varying sizes available (you may have to sign a confidentiality agreement for further detail than that) but there are also smaller parcels large enough to grow wine grapes.
“Inventory’s at an all-time low, but in our county there’s a lot of properties that have vineyard potential,” Hagglund says. “They may not be the perfect soils and elevations, but you can do a lot of different scenarios with land. It’s very plentiful.”
Hagglund and her agents are well-versed in the wine industry, and increasingly they’re helping clients from as far away as France and China — people who perhaps visited for the International Pinot Noir Celebration and decided to buy land here.
For the small-scale “hobby farmer” (although don’t call them that!), eight to 15 acres will suit perfectly if you want to bottle your own wine. Unplanted acreage will cost anywhere from $12,000 to $40,000 per acre. A full-scale winery and/or tasting facility will require more acreage, and planted vineyard land for sale (often a tightly-guarded secret and less plentiful) can ask anywhere from $20,000 to $60,000 per acre.
Increasingly, Hagglund’s staff is working with California buyers who have decided it’s too warm down south for their grapes. But beyond that, she adds, there’s the romantic appeal of living next to your own wine grapes.
“We have a saying,” Hagglund says. “What brought you here to visit is precisely what beckons you to stay. And that’s exactly what happens with people relocating.”