Region | Agriculture: exoskeletons to work the vines in the Vaucluse

In a flash, Julien’s eye scans the bare vine in front of him. Clack, clack, clack, clack. Half-bent, he sends a salvo of small pruning strokes, nimble and precise, to cut the branches that seem older, badly oriented or less vigorous and concentrate on the others the energy of the vine which will wake up in the spring. One or two skilful side steps on the rolled pebbles that make this area special, before leaning on the next stock. He can do like that between 700 and 800 a day. The pruning campaign lasts three months in all to overcome the 47 hectares of vines in the Aiguilhon de Sauveterre estate, in Greater Avignon in the Gard. No worries regarding the hand: with the electric pruning shears they