Sylvos - Common Vine Training Systems

Common Vine Training Systems

Partial list of common vine training systems
Training system Other names Spur or Cane trained Origins Regions commonly found Benefits Disadvantages Other notes Sources
Alberate Spur Likely ancient, used by the Romans Italy-particularly rural areas of Tuscany, Veneto and Romagna Easy to maintain, requires minimal pruning Can produce excessive yields of low quality vine Ancient technique of allowing vines to grow through trees for support Oxford
Ballerina Spur Victoria, Australia Australia A variant of the Smart-Dyson involving 1 vertical and 2 transverse curtains of shoots growing from 1 or 2 upwards facing cordons Oxford
Basket Training Spur Australia South Australia regions like Coonawarra and Padthaway Easy to maintain, requires minimal pruning Lots of shading which in wet climates can promote rot and grape diseases Essentially a minimally pruned version of the bush vine/Gobelet system Oxford
Cassone Padavano Spur Italy Italy A variant of the Sylvos except that the vines are trained horizontally along wires instead of vertically up or down Oxford
Cazenave Cane Italy Italy Well suited for fertile vineyard soils Italian variant of the Guyot system involving spurs and canes being arranged along a single horizontal cordon Oxford
Chablis Eventail, Taille de Semur Spur Developed in Chablis Champagne A self-regulating system for vine spacing, the spurs are allowed to fan out until they encroach on the next vine If not supported by wires, some arms can fall to the ground 90% of all Chardonnay plantings in Champagne use this method Sotheby
Chateau Thierry Cane France France A variant of the Guyot system where a single cane is tied into an arch with a stake support next to its free standing mother vine Oxford
Cordon de Royat Spur Bordeaux Champagne for Pinot noir & Pinot Meunier Described as a spur trained version of Guyot Simple. Also has a double spur variant Sotheby
Cordon Trained Spur Late 20th century California and parts of Europe Essentially a spur trained version of the Guyot system that involves using single or bilateral cordons instead of canes Oxford
Duplex Cane California in the 1960s California and parts of Europe Allows for easy mechanization Can produce excessive yields and foliage which may promote grape diseases A variation of the Geneva Double Curtain Oxford
Fan shape Ventagli Spur Central Europe Central Europe and Russia Allows for easy burial during winter frost protection Central and Eastern European variation of the Chablis/Eventail system that promotes a larger fanning out of the vine's spurs Oxford
Geneva Double Curtain Spur Developed by Nelson Shaulis in New York State in the 1960s Found all over the world Increase protection from frost and ideal for fully mechanized vineyards Can produce excessive yields A downward growing, split canopy system Sotheby
Gobelet Bush vines, head training Spur Likely ancient, used by Egyptians and Romans Mediterranean regions. Examples Beaujolais, Languedoc and Sicily Suitable for low vigor vines Vines can be supported by stakes or left free standing Sotheby
Guyot Cane Developed by Jules Guyot in 1860s Found all over the world, especially Burgundy One of the less complicated and easiest to maintain system that will restrain yields. Has a double and simple variant Sotheby
Lenz Moser "High culture" training or Hochkultur Spur Developed by Dr. Lenz Moser III in Austria in 1920s Used throughout parts of Europe from the mid to late 20th century Easy to maintain with reduced labor and machinery cost Can cause excessive shading in the fruit zone with reduced grape quality Influenced Dr. Shaulis' development of the Geneva Double Curtain Oxford
Lyre The "U" system Spur Developed by Alain Carbonneau in Bordeaux More common in New World wine regions Allows good air circulation and sunlight penetration Not ideally suited for low vigor vines Can be adapted to cane training systems Sotheby
Mosel arch Cane Mosel Germany Each vine has it own stake with two canes bent into a heart shape. During the growing season the vines have the appearance of trees Clarke
Pendelbogen European Loop, Arch-Cane, Capovolto Cane Germany Switzerland, Rhineland, Alsace, Macon, British Columbia and Oregon Promotes better sap distribution and more fruit bearing shoots especially in the center buds on the cane Can produce excessive yields and reduce ripeness levels A variant of the Guyot Double Sotheby
Ruakura Twin Two-Tier RT2T Spur New Zealand New Zealand Well suited for high-vigor vineyards by spreading out the canopy Difficult to mechanize Similar to the Geneva Double Curtain except that the canopy is spread out over 4 curtains, two on top and two on bottom Oxford
Scott Henry Cane and Spur variant Developed at Henry Estate Winery in Oregon Oregon, many New World wine regions Increased fruiting areas and a split canopy that allows more sun penetration, producing less herbaceous wines with smoother tannins Can produce excessive yields. Very labor intensive and expensive to set up Involves growing shoots along movable wires that allows the grower to shift half the canopy into a downwards growing position Sotheby
Smart-Dyson Spur Developed by Australian Richard Smart and American John Dyson United States, Australia, Chile, Argentina, Spain and Portugal Often used with organic viticulture due to the very open canopy that limits disease threat or the need for pesticides Similar to the Scott Henry except that the cordon is trained with alternating upwards and downward trained spurs creating 2 canopies Oxford
Sylvos Hanging cane, Sylvoz Spur Developed by Carlos Sylvos in Italy Australia and New Zealand Requires minimal pruning and easy to maintain and mechanize Produces a dense canopy that is prone to bunch rot Similar to Guyot Double except the vines are growing downward from a taller (usually over 6 ft/2m) trunk Sotheby
Sylvos-Casarsa Casarsa Friuli Spur Friuli-Venezia Giulia Northern Italy Similar to the Sylvos Similar to Sylvos except that the canes do not need to be tied down after pruning. Oxford
Sylvos-Hawkes Bay Spur Montana Wines adaptation of the Sylvos developed in the 1980s New Zealand Creates a more open canopy that allows more air circulation and less prone to bunch rot Can produce excessive yields and reduce ripeness levels Combines aspects of the Scott Henry system of alternating upwards and downwards growing shoots with the Sylvos system Sotheby
T Trellis Spur Australia Australia Can be mechanized for harvest and pruning An undivided canopy may promote excessive shading Utilizes 2 horizontal cordons that together with the vine trunk give the appearance of the letter "T" Oxford
Tatura Trellis Spur Australia Australia Two incline canopies meeting at a 60 degree angle in the middle provides for ample air and light penetration Can produce excessive yields and difficult to mechanize Only recently in the 21st century has this style been used for commercial viticulture Oxford
Tendone Parral, Parron, Pergola, Verandah Spur Italy Southern Italy and parts of South America Grapes grown overhead on arbors or pergolas have little risk of falling to the ground or eaten by animals Expensive to construct & maintain, very dense canopy and potential for grape diseases to develop More often used for table grape rather than wine production Oxford
V Trellis Spur Australia Many New World wine regions Similar to the Lyre "U trellis" except that the cordons are separate from the base trunk Oxford
VSP Trellis Vertical Shoot Positioned Trellis Cane and Spur variant Several variants developed independently in Europe and New World wine regions Cane in New Zealand, spur trained variant in France & Germany Well suited for mechanized vineyards and low vigor vines Can produce excessive yields and shading Most common system of vine training used in New Zealand Sotheby

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