Terraces and ledges

In the last quarter of the 19th century, a new winegrowing system was introduced, in the wake of the phylloxera outbreak, as a way to fight the plague, which involved the use of American rootstocks, the only vine resistant to the bug. Because this plant required more soil, ploughing went deeper, meaning thus the vineyards required sounder walls. Built broader and higher, they gave form to the extensive, slightly sloping terraces, which hold a larger number of rows of vine. The hillsides become more rectilinear and parcelled. This system was maintained until the 1960s and 70s, but it started to decline, due to the lack of labour force and the cost of construction (FAUVRELLE, 2014: 46).