In a context of unprecedented historical drought, Llopart winery has devised an innovative machine to help vines retain as much rainwater as possible. It has been named the “Soaker” with the hope that, when it rains, small regular puddles will form across the entire plot, partially preventing water from flowing towards the edges and streams.

This is an urgent action that can be implemented quickly. Since the end of the harvest, the winery has already tilled all its fields in Subirats using this soaking technique. In this way, the water retained within the plot will slowly seep into the soil, leaving the first meters of land soaked, especially if previously subsoiled: it must be the water reserve that the vines will take advantage of throughout the year.

This tillage system also has the advantage of preventing soil erosion by slowing down the flow of water across the surface when typical Mediterranean torrential rains occur. Pere Llopart and Llopart explain, “We also prevent nutrient loss through erosion, slowing down the trend towards desertification.” At the same time, the soaking technique is compatible with other techniques practiced in the vineyard, such as vegetative cover in alternate rows, if rainfall permits. The effect of the soaker is similar to the keyline technique without the need to redesign the vineyard when it is replanted.

Based on an idea from Pere Llopart, and with the help of a welder, they have adapted the blades of an old “automatic inter-row tiller” machine to accumulate soil into four walls around a hole. As it passes, it sequentially generates these holes, one and a half meters in diameter. These dimensions can be adjusted in both length and width, depending on the available space between the rows of vines. It has been conceived as an adaptation kit for an existing machine to reuse technology that agriculture already possesses.

The novelty has generated much interest in the region, to the point that on November 3rd, more than 70 farmers gathered at the Llopart winery to observe the soaker in action. They also openly offered all the necessary information on how they had built it in case others want to follow suit.

This invention conceived at Llopart winery was inspired by the “aserpiado” technique practiced in the arid vineyards of Jerez. The Catalan technique creates longitudinal holes (rather than transversal ones), elongated in the shape of a funnel and less deep, to allow the tractor to pass later when treating the vineyard.