This training technique, also referred to as 'goblet' / 'gobelet' training is the most common and probably also the oldest technique for training grapevines on walls. It is predominantly used outside wine-growing regions and is inferior to the strict cordon forms, because fans often become messy and unmanageable (earning them the descriptors wild-, irregular-, and free form). Nevertheless, to provide a complete picture of vine training techniques, we present it here.
A fan/goblet vine can be more or less branched and varied, and can be encouraged into an extensive stem framework- in order to frame windows, for example. You'll want to limit the number of arms and branchings, however, to ensure a space of 0.5 to 1.0 metres between them at the outer edge of the vine. For optimal results (i.e a good yield), we prune differently depending on the level of the vine: we spur (short) prune the lower area, rod (medium-long) prune the middle zone, and cane (long) prune the upper canopy. This can be a bit tricky for beginners, and unfortunately, the situation can quickly become messy and confusing if the trunk frame and arms are not clearly separated -- usually a result of insufficient pruning knowledge or experience.
Small vine in fan form, long-pruned (cane-/ arched cane pruned); the canes that will fruit have already been trained and tied in a roughly horizontal form.
Training of a fan vine on a wire rope mesh similar to cable system 5030, stage of development approximately the same as shown in Diagram 09 (see below)
Diagram 12: Bud burst / young shoots. This is how a fan should be planned ahead: you have to bear in mind the bud arrangements, so that the canes arising from the arms are not growing too close together. Otherwise, the shoots will hinder each other year after year during bud burst. Apart from that, this technique is rather uncomplicated and less rigorous to manage than other training techniques. Later on, the side shoot positions are spur pruned, while further up in the canopy and on its outer edge, rod pruning and cane pruning (arched cane pruning) are used.
