North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Rob McDowell <redwine@charter.net>]

I'm going to give you a somewhat different answer about grape training 
than most folks will.  First question is hardiness.  If the variety is 
not fully hardy in your area, the only realistic method is to train it 
low, with multiple trunks, either in a fan(guyot), or a low cordon, 
which will allow ready covering with soil, geotex, mulch or soil.  If 
your varieties are fully hardy, decide where you want your fruit zone, 
the basic choice is mid or high, there are proponents of both.  This 
will dictate whether you train the shoots up or down, and allow the use 
of narrow side netting for bird and hail protection.  There are a number 
of divided training methods where cordons or canes are trained both high 
and low (four arm kniffen, Scott-Henry, etc.), which, IMO, are a 
reactive response to overly close spacing on vigorous ground and require 
a lot of shoot positioning and full coverage netting.

I grow a number of the varieties you've mentioned and have settled on a 
mid fruit zone and mostly cane pruning.  I use a couple of pairs of 
catch wires to help position shoots upward, and with these *anything* 
can go vertical.  I hedge once a summer and do some leaf pulling before 
the side netting goes on.  With high training and vigorous vines it's 
necessary to hedge underneath to get good airflow, possibly not needed 
in Colorado.

Rob McDowell
Purple Gate Vineyard
Plattsburgh, NY
zone 4b/5a