Now It's Planting Time for Vines

The topsoil has dried out well, and there’s still enough moisture below – ideal conditions for planting vines. However, anyone picturing a winemaker with a spade in hand will be completely disillusioned. Nowadays, the job is done by a GPS-controlled planting machine that places the vines at exactly the right spot, 30 centimeters deep into the soil – and even inserts the planting stick at the same time.

All that’s missing now are the posts, which in the past had to be laboriously hammered into the ground by hand. You can probably already guess: this too is now done GPS-positioned, using a vibrating hammer that drives the posts perfectly straight into place.

Only the wires and end anchors still require manual labor. And of course, nurturing the young vines still involves a hands-on approach. Removing lateral shoots and tying the vines to their sticks is not yet mechanizable.

And which grape varieties are the winemakers planting? Alongside classic varieties, more and more focus is being placed on fungus-resistant varieties (PIWIs) to reduce the need for crop protection in the coming years. These varieties also bring exciting new flavors to the wine selection: Souvignier Gris, Cabernet Blanc, and Sauvignac, to name the most commonly planted ones at the moment, impress with exotic fruit aromas and fresh herbal notes.

We’ll be taking a closer look at this topic again soon.