Plant inspection at our nurseries
At the heart of Domaines Paul Mas, our strength lies in the cohesion of our different estate teams. United by a passion for viticulture, our teams work together on nursery inspections. This collaborative approach also fosters a fruitful exchange of practices, offering valuable experience-sharing.
The nursery inspection is much more than a preliminary step; it’s a quality assurance process that every vineyard manager takes seriously. From checking the overall health of the plants to ensuring that each variety complies with standards, nothing is left to chance.
Today, we visited Mercier, at one of their logistics bases in Lunel, to check our future vine plants.
Which control criterias are used by our crop managers?
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Batch uniformity
Uniformity is the nurseryman’s mantra of control. Each batch is scrutinized to ensure uniform size, vigor, and quality. This rigor ensures optimal vineyard management.
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Grafting control
Using the “thumb technique”, the winemaker ensures a perfect bond between the graft and the rootstock. Our vineyard supervisors use their thumbs to press the upper part of the plant, checking that the cellular bond has set properly, avoiding any risk of the graft detaching. Applying pressure to the tip of the graft, along 2 different axes, enables us to assess the success of the operation by analyzing the strength and solidity of the junction between the graft and the rootstock. This method is used upstream by the nursery’s teams, which guarantees good results during our inspections.
This method is a visual and manual validation of the graft’s success. If a break occurs, it’s a sign of an incomplete weld. This check is carried out randomly on different batches, enabling us to calculate the graft success rate. Any batch with a percentage of defective grafts exceeding 8% is systematically rejected by the group. These rigorous standards reflect our commitment to vines of exceptional quality and the production of outstanding wines.
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Uncompromising health controls
Our commitment to healthy vineyards is unwavering. Our nursery inspections are an opportunity to prevent any intrusion of disease or pathogens. Root samples, followed by an ELISA test in the laboratory, are our shield against disease, guaranteeing the purity of our plants.
The Vitipep’s label: a guarantee of quality
Vitipep’s stands out as a benchmark brand in the French viticulture nursery industry. Their commitment? To ensure 100% French certification of the first generation of vine plants.
Each member of Vitipep’s undertakes to comply rigorously with the brand’s specifications, covering aspects of production, marketing, traceability, and training. A certification scheme, supervised annually by an independent body, has been set up to assess each member’s compliance. Working with partners such as Mercier, who fully adhere to this certification, demonstrates our dedication to quality and best practices.
The exchange between winegrowers and nurseries is the foundation of a solid edifice for the vineyard of the future. A crucial preventive approach ensuring the quality, conformity, and health of the plants, thus helping to build a prosperous future for our vines.
We would like to thank the teams at Mercier’s logistics base in Saturargues for welcoming us and taking the time to talk with us, and would like to underline the quality of their work, demonstrating a high level of professionalism, dedication and expertise in their field.
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