Marco Simonit was one of the first modern agronomists to appreciate the now undeniable relationship between vine pruning, wood disease and vine health in general. In 2003 Marco Simonit, together with his childhood friend and fellow agronomist Pierpaolo Sirch, established SIMONIT&SIRCH, an international vine-pruning consultancy, to bring their new pruning methodology to the world. 

Marco Simonit’s books provide a step-by-step guide to the establishment and pruning of vines, as well as restructuring. Simonit & Sirch’s Guyot Methodology: The Vine Pruning Manual to Limit Trunk Diseases is a ground-breaking handbook, offering the reader step-by-step instructions on the renowned Simonit approach to pruning, from vine establishment to maturity. There is also a sister manual for Cordon/Spur pruning that will be released in English later this year.

Both these books offer an incredible level of detail for how to use the SIMONIT&SIRCH method, whether for cane pruning (Guyot) or spur pruning (Cordon). In Simonit’s own words, “In this book, you’ll find a complete picture of what happens inside a plant as a consequence of pruning wounds”. You will also find a complete methodology on how to establish and prune vines to avoid such consequences.