News from the Vineyard in Champagne
by Edouard Bourgeois
September 2, 2021
Imagine having to remove half of your vines in order to keep making the wine you love? Although it is still unclear, the vignerons of Champagne may be required to do so by law, in order to meet the production specifications (Cahier des Charges) of the Champagne appellation.
While our La Fete du Champagne team is working on building this upcoming October festival, we are interviewing the participating growers to build our audio guide of the Grand Tasting. In one of these interviews with Benoit and Melanie Tarlant on zoom, I couldn’t help but notice the red logo displaying bold letters #NOVSL on Benoit’s tee-shirt. VSL is the acronym for “Vigne Semi Large” and designates a pruning system where vines are planted with a height of over 2 meters high and an increased space between the rows. The Champagne region is known for its high density of plantation with some vineyards reaching as much as 12,000 vines per hectare. Adopting the VSL would mean reducing that density of plantation to 3,800 vines per hectare.
In an area where tradition is so rooted in the culture and the commercial messaging, change is not always seen with a good eye and protests against VSL started to erupt on social media, leading to petitions. Although, the idea of reducing the plantation density is not new in Champagne. A number of larger Champagne houses have pushed the project since the 80’s. VSL’s detractors like the Tarlants denounce the industrialization this would cause in the region. If it is certainly easier to work in a vineyard where rows are wide enough to use a regular tractor, that also means the yield would be much lower. About 2,400 kgs of grapes per hectare under VSL would mean about 18% less than in a “normal” year in a vineyard planted traditionally. This also raises the question of machine harvesting, a practice that is strictly forbidden in Champagne where producers never cease to proudly remind their clients the magic words “vendangé a la main”, meaning harvested by hand.
What are the pros of the VSL project? The first idea is once again to make it easier to work with tractors, reducing labor costs by almost half. It is also believed that it would reduce the risk of spring frost thanks to better air circulation, reduce the use of herbicides since ploughing would be easier and finally offer a better response to climate changes. This last point is probably what divides producers the most. One of the strongest arguments against it is that VSL facilitates sun burns on the grapes due to less leaf cover.
It will be interesting to see what the vineyards of Champagne, classified in the UNESCO World Heritage, will look like in 10 or 15 years.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?
Vines planted under VSL allow for a more ergonomic work position
The classic view of the Moulin de Verzenay surrounded by vineyards planted in high density
