Combining modernity and tradition: a fascinating challenge.
How many times have we visited a museum, a square in a historic centre, an old building where tradition, culture and the charm of the past reign, and it seemed to us that this modern sculpture, this fluorescent decoration, this irreverent graffiti were detracting from the beauty and balance of the site.
Well, yes.... beauty is often a question of balance.....
But what do these sophistical considerations have to do with the world that belongs to us, namely winegrowing?
I think it has everything to do with robots and horses.
In winegrowing, as in all aspects of modern life, advances in electronics, automation and robots are changing the face of our identity.
So it's easy to see a horse pulling a plough in a vineyard and a GPS-controlled robot in the neighbouring vineyard ploughing the soil, shredding specially grown legumes between the rows of vines or branches from previous pruning to create natural compost...... or cutting the grass!
The little vitirover robot in the photo, which is no longer a prototype but an effective stand-alone machine, deals with the latter work and has a number of advantages:
- it doesn't crush the soil, because with its only 23 kilos weight, it's perfect for clay soils that are could easily compact under the 2 tons of traditional tractors.
- it is solar-powered, which means it recovers the energy it will use for its work while it is in operation
- it doesn't produce smoke or disturbing noises that would certainly upset the balance of the microfauna in the field
- it's economical because it's autonomous and there's no need to pay an attendant during its operation.
I therefore think that any modern winegrower who wants to combine respect for tradition with the advantages of modernity should find his own balance, possibly using mules or horses to plough the plots (especially clay plots) and entrusting grass-cutting to robots such as the Vitirover.
Moreover..... What could be more beautiful than to see a horse patiently and forcefully working the land according to an age-old tradition? Magnificent.
As there are no tools to cut the grass using an horse..... welcome to Vitirover! I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of them in action in the future.
If you're over 18, love wine and want to enjoy the beautiful spring sunshine, or if you'd like to take part in a wonderful excursion that will end with a delicious Saint Emilion wine tasting, come and visit us soon. Come and visit us soon - spring is a great time to visit the vineyards!