With the arrival of spring in the northern hemisphere, winegrowers have to weigh up their options to control the grass under and in between the vine rows. The most common options are chemical herbicides, mechanical weeding or a combination of the two.
Chemical herbicides, especially if they are blank sprayed (still a very common practice in Champagne today), are known to be bad for the soil, water and air. Mechanical weeding, on the other hand, could damage the vine trunks or roots and potentially increase the farmer's carbon footprint.
Studies have pointed out that both chemical herbicides and mechanical weeding can cause soil compaction and bring on soil erosion. Moreover, both options require oil – a declining commodity ever since the Iran war started – whether it is the diesel used by the tractor or petroleum compounds that can be found (for a variety of reasons) in chemical herbicides. Luckily there is a third option that is not dependent on oil, and it has the extra benefit of enriching the soil: reintroducing animals in the vineyard.
Even if today very few winegrowers actively deploy animals in their vineyard management strategy, animals have historically been vineyard helpers.
For instance, long before the tractor appeared, the soil was plowed by horse and small farms often also had chickens roam in between the vines, or geese to protect the whole farm. However, in the monocultural approach that has dominated agriculture for most of the last century, animals disappeared from the vinescape. The last holdout was probably the draft horse, but it was swiftly replaced by the tractor in the "trente glorieuse", the period between 1970 and 2000, that industrialized viticulture.
However, at the beginning of this century, some winegrowers reviewed their practices and horses began to make a tentative comeback. They were originally spotted plowing biodynamic vineyards, partly because they embody the core values of biodynamic teaching – a holistic and regenerative approach to farming – and partly because they bring relief from soil compaction. Both of these reasons have been confirmed scientifically.
A 2021 study about the use of workhorses on vineyard estates concluded that tilling by horse increased the winegrower's observation and understanding of the agro-ecosystem, driven by the need to involve all senses (sight, smell, touch, hearing and potential taste) as part of the working relationship with the horse.
A 2016 thesis comparing the use of tractors and horses in the vineyards on the soil, grape must and labor, affirmed that vineyards worked by horse had a "better soil structure, bacteria and soil life as well as a better conductibility and gas exchange with a lower soil compaction".
Click HERE to read the full article.
Good news stories abound in the South African Winelands. The #wineforgood campaign, launched by wine.co.za in June 2016, is all about sharing these uplifting stories. We dedicate the month of April to our #wineforgood campaign each year, sharing a good news story every day. Join us in spreading the good news about South African wine. If you'd like to submit a story, please email editor@wine.co.za. For more stories, visit www.wineforgood.co.za.