Franche-Comté Winegrower’s House

The traditional Franche-Comté wine grower’s house is a massive, generally lenghtwise property, that always comes with a cellar. The house is made of stone, with large ground floor gates originally allowing barrels to be carried into the cellar. These can easily be converted into a large outstanding reception room for instance.

Outside stairs allow access to the first floor. However, in many restored properties the stairs obviously take place inside the house.

Sometimes a wooden corbelling reinforces the roof structure. This system is also often seen on the famous Bresse farmhouses, Bresse being an historic area of France at the crossroads of Franche-Comté, Burgundy and Rhone Alps.

A corbel is in this case a piece of wood jutting out of a wall to carry the superincumbent weight of the floor/ roof above. This is a technique used since Neolithic times – late Stone Age (around 3,500 BC): this is actually a traditional construction method in the region.

Wood is used notably inside these Maisons de Vignerons (winemakers') houses. Beams are exposed inside such a traditional property. A large stone chimney generally takes place in the living room too.

The ceiling, stairs and many other parts of the house like the pieces of furniture are generally made of wood. Shutters and doors are often made of wood too. The walls are generally of yellow/ orange colour that give a warm aspect to these Franche-Comté traditional properties.

Top Tip! These traditional French houses are really ideal if you are looking for a house with great B and B potential. With Franche-Comté houses, a lot of charm obviously comes as standard. The whole house layout is dedicated to the production of wine.

These traditional French houses often come with a Pigeonnier, being a tower and increasing if needed the majestic aspect of the house.