PLANTING

The grubbing-up and replanting of vines (or the planting of new plots) must be notified to the authorities. Planting must take place before the end of May (or late July for plants in pots), following a period when the soil is rested and prepared. Champagne AOC wines may only be produced from the fruit of vines in their third year of growth (two years after planting).

Regulations specify a maximum inter-row spacing of 1.5 metres and an intra-row spacing of 0.90-1.5 metres, total spacing being never more than 2.5 metres. This produces an average planting density of roughly 8,000 plants per hectare, aiming to optimize fruit quality through high-density planting. The more the vines have to compete with neighbouring plants for water and nutrients, the smaller and better the crop load per vine. Another advantage of high planting density is that it favours the development of an optimal Leaf Area Index (LAI), so promoting photosynthesis.

New plantings are subject to strict EU regulations, in accordance with fixed annual quotas for all wine-producing member countries. New planting rights are then distributed among the different wine-growing regions by the French Minister for Agriculture. The annual rights allocation for the Champagne region does not exceed 1% of the total area under vine.