Buying a home in France can be a complex process. From finding your dream home to relocating to France there are many hurdles to overcome before you can relax and enjoy lifestyle and beautiful environment that France is renowned for. In Part 1 of this series, Oliver Phillips of PFS France (http://www.propertyforsalefrance.co.uk/) walks you through process of finding and making an offer on your dream home in France.

Finding your new French property is first hurdle. Assuming you have an idea what you want, in which location and how much you can afford, easiest route to searching for properties is often via Internet using a reputable French property website. The advantages are obvious; a good website will not only offer a large database of properties currently for sale, they will offer multiple photos of property's exterior, interior and grounds together with comprehensive narrative about property itself. Also it will often have a search facility through which you can view properties that match your specific criteria, and often offer additional benefits such as email notification of new properties, newsletters and other information to help you in your search. Of course big advantage is that you can build a shortlist of potential properties without having to visit France, saving you money from start. Whether you use Internet or not, when considering a property, make sure you get photos and information before you view property. You can cut down on wasted trips and expense this way.

The vineyard manager's primary concerns are pruning vines and ensuring that they are protected from cold temperatures. Nature helps with second objective.

Sap from vine drips towards roots and creates a natural layer of insulation. Dirt can also be mounded around roots for added protection.

Depending on severity of climate, vineyards are normally pruned sometime within three months after harvest. In very cold climates pruning is delayed to end of this time frame.

The longer pruning is put off, later budbreak will occur in Spring. In colder climates it is beneficial to postpone budbreak so vine is not adversely affected by a late cold streak.

There are three major pruning techniques: cordon-spur pruning, head-spur pruning and cane pruning.

Cane-pruning usually involves cutting off all but three or four canes. Canes are selected based on number of buds they produce.

Head-spur pruning is widely used in Rhone Valley in Southern France and is also popular in warmer wine producing areas in California. This method effectively keeps grapes near ground and allows them to continue to ripen at night due to heat retention of soil. It is generally not used in cooler climates because it can expose grapes to frost-bite.