Training to establish the two horizontal cordons in the first year

[JoP]

Hello fellow grape growers,
When you train your plant to establish the two horizontal cordons in the first year, do you cut the main trunk forming shoot right above the second wire and use the two best lateral shoots emerging from below, or don't cut it and use it for one of the cordons?

 

[Cynewulf]

Hello fellow grape growers,
When you train your plant to establish the two horizontal cordons in the first year, do you cut the main trunk forming shoot right above the second wire and use the two best lateral shoots emerging from below, or don't cut it and use it for one of the cordons?

I usually don’t try to form cordons in the first year, but if you have an exceptionally vigorous vine and really want to do that the first year, I’ve done both. Lately I’ve been laying the main trunk down on vigorous second year vines to form one cordon then either pinch it off and let a lateral form the other cordon or work on it the following year.
That said, my vineyard isn’t going to win any beauty contests and there are much nicer and better structured ones with straighter trunks here on WMT.