Bordeaux property prices rebound on renewed interest from Chinese buyers

Buying from China is underpinning a nascent recovery in Bordeaux wine-estate prices, boosting demand for mid-level vineyards while top properties have rebounded to levels last seen in 2000, according to broker Michael Baynes.

Investors from China have bought about 100 Bordeaux estates since starting to focus on the area in 2010, helping reverse a slide in land values set in motion 15 years ago by the onslaught of New World competition in the global wine market, Baynes said in an interview at his offices near Saint Emilion.

He is a partner in Maxwell-Storrie-Baynes, an exclusive affiliate to Christie's International Real Estate.