Presentation of Domaine Labbé
Domaine Labbé produces Savoy wines from a dozen hectares of vines, where we grow a mix of white Jacquère and red grape varieties. These grape varieties were replanted in 2004, after our installation. We plant at a density of 1.50 m and 90 cm per vine, giving an average density of 6,000 vines per hectare. The estate’s objective has been to find alternatives to chemical products, particularly for weed control, and it was with this in mind that we opted for an interceps mowing system. In fact, a certain number of plots were impossible to work using inter-row ploughing, due to the configuration of the hillsides and the very stony terrain.
Choosing the right inter-weed mower
We have carried out a multitude of tests on different brands of interceps mowers. Unfortunately, we came across some brands that didn’t respect the vineyards, cutting down vines a lot and damaging the vines. It was this point that prompted us to choose the MGV-Balligand Interceps Trèfle mowers, which we discovered at SITEVI in Montpellier, since the main advantage of this machine is its respect for the vines. Today, we use this system on about half of our farm, for total mowing.
Advantages of the Balligand MGV clipper for our Savoy wines
If I had to give the advantages of this system, they would be respect for the vines, the parallelogram system that allows each mower to monitor the soil independently, and reliability, since it’s robust equipment.
The interceps mower doesn’t achieve the same results as chemical weed control, but it’s still a good solution for farms like ours with 2 hectares of organic land, where you have to accept a little weed cover in the vines.
The product is fairly easy to adjust, with a spring system for adjusting the pressure of the interceps against the vine, which is very interesting. This makes for even better results, when you can lean a little harder on the porcini once they’re fairly robust. This makes it a highly adaptable machine, which can be used just as well in young plantations as in slightly older plantations, on which you can lean a little harder with the right settings.
This system improves day-to-day work on the farm, and we have repeatedly recommended it to our colleagues in the region.
The great strength of MGV Balligand is that it is always very responsive, whether it’s for ordering parts or for advice, with a very competent technician.
