A historic ivy-covered 11-bedroom château on a 55-hectare vineyard near Bordeaux airport is on the market. Kate McMorrow reports

Wine importers and wealthy entrepreneurs keen to get into the growing end of the viniculture business could be seduced by Château Malromé, an historic vineyard and feudal château in the Gironde region of south-west France.

On the market through Carlton International's David Stanley at an asking price of €5 million, Château Malromé comes with a 55-hectare vineyard and €600,000 worth of wine stock.

The estate is about 40 km from Bordeaux airport and direct flights from Dublin will be an asset for Irish buyers.

The exact location is off the Bordeaux-to-Toulouse autoroute near the village of St-André Du Bois, within easy reach of St Emilion - an area famous for its sweet white wines.

Among the château's distinguished former owners are the Comtesse Adèle de Toulouse and her son Henri, better known as the artist Toulouse Lautrec. It has been reported that he painted "ceaselessly" in the grounds and completed one of the most beautiful portraits of his mother here.

The original 14th century château was partially destroyed during the religious wars of the 16th century.

It was later restored and re-emerged in importance in the mid-1800s as home of Jean de Forcade la Roquette, one of Napoleon's favourite ministers.

Ivy-covered and with a tower straight out of a fairytale, the château was renovated in 1996 in the style of Napoleon 111. Public rooms are currently hung with Lautrec pictures on loan from the Musée d'Albi and occasionally on view to tour groups.

The 2,500 sq m (26,9097 sq ft) château has about 11 bedrooms, some now put to other uses. Main reception rooms are decorated in traditional hues of red, gold and terracotta, floors are parquet and ceiling plasterwork is well preserved. There is an oak-shelved library, two salons and a formal diningroom to seat 25.

A sleek modern kitchen installed in 1997 is up to professional standards. Behind this are a number of ancillary rooms for staff, including a second kitchen and two offices.

Upstairs, five of the 11 bedrooms are en suite, including a glorious main bedroom suite with a dressingroom and walls and curtains in 19th century silk.

The property also includes two restored lodges for the caretaker and staff and the winery buildings and equipment. Malromé is fortunate in having the clay-gravel alluvial soil ideal for wine growing.

Twenty hectares of vines surround the château beyond its formal gardens and the wine crop benefits from long barrel-ageing in the château cellars. Each year, 150 barrels are ordered for the harvest.

Four traditional Bordeaux grape varieties are used in making Malromé's wine: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec - a grape typically grown on estates bordering the Garonne River.

Sémillon is the only white wine variety grown at Malromé. A new Cuveé, Esprit de Malromé, was created to meet demand from the château's many visitors.