Episode 5: Pergola Trellises vs. Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP) | Japanese Wine

Pergola (overhead trellises) can support huge trunks and high volumes of large grapes which is ideal for the growers of Japan’s legendary table grapes. Table grapes can fetch as much as ten times the price of wine grapes. However, vertical shoot positioning is a much better training system for the production of wine grapes because it allows you to plant trunks closer together, and it is easier to reduce yields in order to get sweeter, more flavorful fruits with 22 to 23% sugar content. These days, Château Mercian is taking greater control of its grape production in order to increase the quality of its harvested grapes.