Gaillac Property Insight

Gaillac is a small town of Tarn in the Midi-Pyrénées region which accounts for a population of 12,000 inhabitants. Distant from only 22km of Albi, the prefecture of the department, and 54km from Toulouse, Gaillac is above all known for its large vineyards. It lies in a mind-blowing nature, near the forest of Grésigne, the hill of Lauragais and the Montagne Noire (“Black Mountain”). The Tarn River lines the south of Gaillac, from east to west.

Overview

The development of Gaillac as a “real town” dates from the year 972, when a burg was set up around a Benedictine monastery. However, the foundations of a “villa” dating long before the Gallo-roman era testifies the existence of life in the area a long time ago.

The Benedictines put in place a thriving trade of wine on the Tarn River and dug an important network of cellars. The wine was transported on the Tarn to the Garonne River, to reach the port of Bordeaux and capture the markets of France and Europe. They established the basis of a prosper trade which lasts since then.

Nowadays, the Gaillac appellation’s area covers 2,500ha. spread on 73 communes for a production of more than 165,000hl. A large variety of elaborated wines are produced. Red wine, rosé and white wines, but also bubbly, are made in Gaillac.

It is also a town of history. Some beautiful buildings remain despite the hazard of time. Thus, the Saint-Michel abbey (13th century) or the Foucaud castle (17th century) surrounded by its park drawn by Le Nôtre (a very famous French garden designer, who draw the amazing gardens of the Versailles palace for example) are definitely to discover!

Gaillac Immobilier & Property Market Trends

The Tarn department is not renowned as being expensive, but the price varies depending on the area you want to buy a property. Thus, you will find lower price outside the main towns.

In the 90's, Gaillac was a very popular area for the British, like Albi and Cordes. The three towns formed what they called themselves a “Triangle d’Or” (golden triangle) and is still considered by some as Tarn’s prized area. The place is really beautiful, with medieval bastides, hilltop remote houses or villages, large vineyards area and charming stone houses… As a consequence of its popularity, the prices increased considerably in recent years and became less interesting.

At the beginning of 2009, the price of the property market was about €1,900 / s qm and the proportion of second homes is of 5%. The majority of the properties you will find there are houses with 2-3 bedrooms or more. The percentage of apartments is quite low because Gaillac comprises only 21% of them.

To get updated info about the property prices in Tarn, please browse our French Property Market Reports published in the News Section every month.

5 Reasons to Buy a Property in Gaillac

Gaillac takes part of a relaxed and rural department and thus offers many of the best things in life… some good and tasty wines, a time to think and the possibility to forget about the rest of the world are some examples of the French “douceur de vivre” it provides to you. Many other reasons can attract you to stay in this irresistible place.

• Culture: the amateurs of culture will love Gaillac. Three main museums have to be visited. The abbey of Saint-Michel itself is interesting to see, but its museum worth the trip. Surprisingly, the small town comprises a fine arts museum and also a museum of natural history!

• Vineyards: to really discover Gaillac, you have to meet a winegrower. He will tell you with passion everything he knows about the vineyards and gives you interesting information about the rich diversity of wines and the local production. Then, you will really cultivate a passion for the Gaillac wines.

• Events: “dynamic” is perhaps the better adjective to describe Gaillac. It offers an extreme diversity of events. Only to give some examples, you have the Cinefeuille festival (garden and landscape movies) in May, the aperitifs concerts every Friday in July and August, the wine festival in August, the book fair, the theatre festival and the European cinema festival in October.

• Market: all year round, the markets regulate the pace of life of Gaillac and its surroundings. Even if markets take place also on Tuesday and Sunday, the bigger remains the one on Friday. Flea markets and bric-a-brac trades are numerous during the sunny days.

Property Styles and Architecture in Gaillac

• Red brick houses: only 22km separate Gaillac from Albi. In some ways, Gaillac beneficiated from its architectural influence. Albi is known as the “red town”, because of the colour of its brick buildings and houses in the historical centre. In Gaillac, you will see many houses built in red bricks, which is a local material. Often, these houses have wooden shutters and a roof in tiles which give a rustic charm to the properties.
• White stone houses: in the Tarn department, many houses are built in stones. In Gaillac, the stones used are of pale colours, sometimes almost white. The beautiful façades of these houses are adorned with shutters painted in bright colours. This gives a Tuscan look to Gaillac.
• Manors: some manors or other big properties are common in Gaillac, and often stand in huge parks. Thus, these properties benefit from the calmness of the area. The fact that so many large and elegant properties are present is due to the former wealth of Gaillac and were houses of rich stallholders.

Click here for more info about the Architecture of Midi-Pyrenees.