The Training of Vines

How a vine is trained depends on several different factors. The vineyard, yield required and the climate affect how a vine is trained. Some vines are trained low so they will be aided by reflected heat and will escape wind damage. Some are grown high to avoid reflected heat from the ground. This can be beneficial because growing vines high improves air circulation and reduces rotting in humid climates. Presently there are three basic systems for training vines.

The Bush system is a spur-pruned system that is popular in warmer vineyard regions. These include Spain, south France, the Rhone Valley, and Beaujolais. This system is not appropriate for damp areas where rotting is a concern because of the poor air circulation which results from the vines being close to the ground. This system is also not appropriate for areas which are subject to spring frosts. There are usually four or five spurs left near the head of the vine trunk and the vines are free standing.

The replacement cane system is used in Bordeaux and Burgundy and includes the Guyot. In this system canes are trained along lateral wires with new canes being put to use every year. This system has simple and double variants, Guyot single and Guyot double. In the Cordon spur system the trunk of the vines is grown horizontally with many spurs left along its length. This system is most commonly used in vineyards which have been fully mechanized.

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