Commercial chicken hatcheries in the U.S. are having one of their best years ever thanks to a growing trend…backyard chicken coups.

As a hedge against inflation, growing numbers of people across the U.S. are seeking a ready source of meat and eggs by keeping their own chickens in converted garden sheds, vacant lots, and roof-top pens.

“Too bad they don’t know about Argentine wine,” said Margaret Summerfield, managing director of Pathfinder Real Estate, a global property company. “They could do the same thing but end up with something more fun to consume… and have hectares of productive land to boot.”

The Mendoza area of Argentina is one of the few places in the world are suitable for quality wine production Summerfield said. But while an acre of good vineyard in Napa Valley or Loire, France can set you back up to $200,000, good Argentine wine land in Mendoza is incredibly cheap.

In fact, said Summerfield, $5,000 will buy an acre of raw vineyard with irrigation rights in Mendoza, and it’s usual for small vineyards to come with a house on the property, making it a perfect money making homestead.

Summerfield gave an example of a property that included 6.1 acres of mature Malbec vines and 6 acres of Cabernet vines, along with 3.7 acres of d’Agen plums. The caretaker’s house has been recently renovated. Production in 2007 was 52,000 kilograms of Cabernet and Malbec grapes and 1,900 kilograms of d’Agen plums. The asking price for the property was $160,000.

If you gave me the choice of beating inflation by having a backyard chicken coup or owning my own producing Argentine vineyard, I know which one I’d pick,” said Summerfield.

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