Gobelet vine training in Italy

This week I’m going to start a new feature of Vino Travels called Wine Word Wednesday.  If you want to increase your Italian in the wine world each week I’ll provide you with an Italian word with the English to match on either in an article as below or on some of my social media methods so keep an eye out.  

This weeks word is viti, meaning vines, and today I’m sharing with you one of the vine training methods used in Italy known as the gobelet vine training system.

Harvesting the gobelet vine training system by Syvwich

Vine training in Italy has been around since when the Greeks and Romans dominated the land and were discovering the ways of winemaking throughout Italy.  One form of vine training found in Italy, mostly southern because of the climate, is known as gobelet vine training.  This particular type of vine training isn’t supported, trellised or staked off and grows in the shape of a goblet or bush.  Per the Wine Doctor, “the trunk of the vine is kept short at about 0.5m, and it is crowned by a knarled lump of old wood, which is the result of years of spur pruning the few branches at the head of the trunk. Vines trained in this manner, referred to as 'head training', essentially resemble a small bush or shrub, and they may be described by some as 'bush vines'.”

Gobelet vine training provides a much more shaded area for the grapes protecting them from intense sun and high winds.  Areas that have higher rain/wet climates would face the risk of rot and other diseases as the moisture is trapped under the leaves within the vine.  You will see these types of vine training mostly in southern Italy including Sicily and Puglia.

You can also see this type of vines used in other parts of the world including Australia and Greece.  I visited the Boutari winery on the island of Santorini in Greece and was my first experience witnessing these types of vines.  Very interesting to see in person considering most of us are used to the guyot trellising method.

Bush vines at Boutari winery in Santorini, Greece

Vineyards at Boutari wnery in Santorini, Greece

Have you seen this type of vine training with gobelets?  Where?

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