A new vineyard robot comes on-stream in the Loire Valley

ver the hillsides of Savennières, in the Loire Valley, rows of vines are set to welcome a new companion – a small, compact, orange-coloured machine on tracks, nicknamed ‘Alph’ by the team at Domaine FL. “We have tested several robots but this is the one we found the most convincing”, recounts Louis du Baret, head viticulturist at the winery.

Some thirty out of Domaine FL’s sixty hectares under vine will be using the robot, chosen for its operating stability due to its tracks which limit soil compaction. Its hybrid system provides it with lengthy range and the ability to attach a number of tools.

“We also like its inter-vine rather than high-clearance format and already had tools suited to the frame”, adds du Baret. The robot will initially be used for repetitive mechanical tasks such as shallow ploughing, hilling up and maintaining the strip of earth around the base of the vines.

The main motive for the purchase was not just performance but also to reduce physical labour. The robot’s environmental impact factored into the equation too: the RX20 only uses 1.7 litres of fuel per hour and has a limited weight of 1.7 tonnes, thereby reducing soil compaction. Although du Baret says the cost of the robot is still “significant”, the winery views the investment as the logical next step in its responsible innovation strategy.

It may just be that after its first foray into the vineyards of the Loire, the little caterpillar may crawl along to other French wine regions…