alberello a ventaglio

16:21 Feb 1, 2013 

On fan training, you could look at this:

http://www.grapes.msu.edu/pdf/cultural/vine train sprpt.pdf

which has an illustration (pp.6-7).

"Viticoltura moderna" points out that the "a ventaglio" configuration is usually symmetrical (two or four arms, not three) and adds that in Italy, "allevamento a ventaglio" is used only in parts of Liguria for pigato whereas it is common in Moldavia, Georgia and the Don zone, as well as in Sauternes in France.

The PDF above and "Viticoltura moderna" also make it clear that fan training usually involves vines that grow much lower, often with the trunk itself underground.

In the specific case of alberello training, the distinction is between "a vaso" ("gobelet" in French) and "a ventaglio" (the arms extend parallel to the row instead of forming a goblet-like canopy around the head of the vine).

"Alberello a ventaglio" is obviously similar to "allevamento a ventaglio/fan training" but it would be confusing to use the same name for both in English. Hence the suggestion to use the Italian name with a brief description.

07:39 Feb 1, 2013 

I'll do as you say and put alberello a ventaglio with your explanation after it.

07:11 Feb 1, 2013 

@ Isabelle
There doesn't seem to be a generally accepted term in English for this vine-training variant. Prozian Dave Henderson (to whom many thanks) spoke about it to a college viticulture instructor in California, who suggested the "espallier-trained, head-pruned" description but you could equally well call "alberello a ventaglio" "vertical-trellised and head-pruned".

@ Phil
1) References (especially Wikipedia) can be misleading or erroneous and the only options for commenting on them are "agree", "neutral" and "disagree".

2) Sadly, online sources will not solve all of our translation problems. "Viticoltura moderna" is a standard work on grape growing and, in fact, I included it in the bibliography for my presentation on wine translation at the ATA conference in San Diego last October.

If you want a copy, you can order it from Amazon Italy (type "viticoltura moderna" into the search engine). There's even a second-hand copy of an earlier edition available on Amazon in the US.

Buona lettura.

21:46 Jan 31, 2013 

Where are your references for all this? How are we supposed to look up page 376 of Eynard and Dalmasso's "Viticoltura moderna"?

19:12 Jan 31, 2013 

"Alberello" is an ancient vine training technique, usually translated in the US as "head-trained/training" and in the Old World as "bush-trained/training". "Alberello a ventaglio" is a particular form of bush training in which (usually three) distinct spur-bearing arms are allowed to grow from the trunk. The spurs, which will bear the fruit, are then vertically trellised. There's an illustration on p.376 of Eynard and Dalmasso's "Viticoltura moderna".

I'm asking around to see if someone can come up with a translation that is actually used in English but in the meantime I would put "alberello a ventaglio" with a short explanation.

G.
PS Bush-trained vines are always spur-pruned.