Alsatian winegrowers are expanding and rationalising their plots through purchases subject to sale led by the Société d'aménagement foncier et d'établissement rural.

n Alsace, micro-plots are legion. To reduce their costs and travel, many winemakers want to expand them. Safer helps them to carry out these rationalisations. During its technical committees, it can assign a plot of land preferentially to a winegrower on the condition that the latter undertakes to recede another plot via a promise of sale. "With the same application, this is an argument that works in favour of these buyers, because it allows us to resolve other situations," says Aude Baumann, head of service at Safer Grand Est.

Jacques Schubnel, who lives in Zellwiller, benefited from such an operation. This winemaker cultivates 2.5 ha of vines and manages a horse boarding house. At the end of 2024, when he learned that one of his neighbours was retiring and putting his vines up for sale, he positioned himself to buy a plot of Pinot Noir.

« This vineyard is located right next to one of my 20-acre Riesling plots," he explains. The Safer has allocated it to me, which allows me to have 60 ares in one piece. This plot includes 14 rows of young plants planted between 1m70 and 1m80 apart, which is ideal for moving with the machines and 10 older rows planted at 1m40. There, I will tear off 1 out of three places to be able to pass better with my equipment."

"I only want to work large plots"

In exchange for this acquisition, Jacques Schubnel put up for sale another plot of Pinot Noir of 6.1 ares also located in Zellwiller. "It is difficult to drive because there are very few headlands. Passing the machines was a real hassle. I sold it in May," he says. This plot has enabled a newly established winemaker to enlarge one of her blocks.

After this initial optimisation, Jacques Schubnel envisaged others. "I am going to part with all the plots that are between 5 and 10 ares. I only want to work large plots. When the rows are 250 m long, we save time."

Another change to come: his father, who owns a farm based in Bergheim, 30 km from Zellwiller, is due to retire on January 1, 2027. "I will not take over his plots in Bergheim. My father will put them up for sale," explains the winemaker. Enough to make new optimizations.

Less travel and plots better suited to the passage of machinery

Jean-Marc Jost is another beneficiary of this system. This organic and biodynamic winemaker in Scharrachbergheim-Irmstett works with his wife Céline on 18 hectares. "After the 2024 harvest, one of my colleagues stopped his activity. It had 40 ares which touched one of my plots. The Safer granted them to me, which allows me to have a one-hectare block in one piece 200 m from the estate. The plot I acquired, planted with Pinot and Auxerrois and aged 15 to 20 years, was very well kept. And above all installed with row spacings of 2 m for 4 rows and 1m75 for six rows, which is ideal for passing with my machines. In exchange, I put up for sale six other small plots of 3 ares for the smallest to 20 ares for the largest, of different grape varieties (Auxerrois, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir...) that had to be restructured because they were too narrow. And some of them needed to be pulled out because they were too old," he explains. This restructuring is important for the winemaker. "By grouping the plot around the estate, we make less travel. And by opting for plots that are more suitable for the passage of machines, we not only save time but also improve working conditions." These benefits make you forget the administrative complexity of such operations.