Term for a vine training in which annual shoots are repeatedly cut at the end of the trunk over several years. This increasingly strengthens the end of the trunk and gives it a head-like appearance. Without a supporting framework, a bush shape results after the shoots have grown out. Head training is used for espalier training with various arched cuts (flat, half, pendulum and full arch), as well as trestle cut and gobelet. This system, which was already used in ancient times, is suitable for low-growing vines in areas with little rainfall and is practised today mainly in the Mediterranean region. The green shoots are topped several times during the vegetation cycle to prevent them from becoming too long.
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Markus J. Eser
Weinakademiker und Herausgeber „Der Weinkalender“