1.2.1 Planting Preparation

What legal requirements precede planting?

As of June 16, 2019, the viticulture department of the Directorate General of Customs and Indirect Duties (DGDDI) no longer requires a declaration of intention to plant. According to the decree n° 2019-597 published on June 14th 2019 in the article D. 665-11 of the rural and maritime fishing code, it is mentioned that: "Any operation of grubbing up, planting, replanting or grafting of vines must be declared to the services of the General Directorate of Customs and Indirect Duties at the latest one month after the work is carried out. The planting or replanting declaration must be supplemented by a document certifying the delivery of the vine plants, issued by the nursery”.

All planting must comply with appellation specifications as pertaining to each plot. Specifically, detailing the grape varieties requirements, density, inter-plant, and inter-row spacing, as well as the various obligatory cultivation practices required prior to planting as well as during planting.

Removal of any vegetative cover

Prior to tillage, the existing plant cover should be removed to facilitate planting and reduce competiton for water and minerals as well as ensuring a better survival rate for young rootstalks in the loose soil. In general, anywhere from a couple weeks to a month are necessary prior to planting, depending on team availability and the weather forecast.

The destruction of the crop canopy can be accomplished a few different ways. For example, it is possible to mulch or mow the cover crop with a rotary chopper and then bury it with a plow, a disc harrow, or a rototiller.

Tilling and soil levelling

A superficial tilling when carried out as close as possible to vine planting enables the surface horizen to be sufficiently loose to facilitate young vine rooting. Various tools are recommended, for example, a small rotary harrow can be used for light tilling. This is also referred to as hoeing.

The destruction of the plant cover and its burial, or the tilling of the soil can bring back to the surface weeds' roots or filaments. In this case, manually going through the parcel enables the removal of any remaining debris.

Levelling the plot before planting can be useful when tillage has brought any soil clumps to the surface. A roller or rotary cultivator are examples of tools that can be used to break up these clumps while simultaneously levelling the surface.

Tracing, marking and stake operations

The planting limits, also called tracing, are carefully preplanned and outlined according to:

• The space required for maneuvers, also called headlands, (the exact amount varies according to the wheelbase of each vineyard's machinery, see recommendations) as well as the access roads for the vineyard machinery

• The appellation guidelines and desired planting density

• The surounding environment: hedges, rows of trees, forests or watercourses, etc.

Defining row and vine placement

Row orientation depends largely on plot topography, the sunshine/nearby environment, but it also is largely dependant on the grape varietal, the region and desired type of wine. When maximum exposure is desired, a North-South row position is ideal. When the double-sided foliage sun exposure is not the goal, it's recommended to favor one-sided exposure, the choices being either a north-west/south-east or north-east/south-west row exposure. Any afternoon sun exposure is very intense and is known to cause more damage. When considering the exposure, a primary factor is ideal sun exposure for each grape varietal, as certain grapes are more sensitive and UV rays may scald them.

Once orientation is determined marking should be carried out to ensure the rows are straight. Row marking is often done manually, using ropes or stretched ropes to draw the future row outlines. This task can also be done mechanically.

Finally, staking further defines the plantation area. Small stakes are planted along each row and they accompany the young vine's growth during its first few years.