AFAIK you can pinch back unwanted shoots at any time - you just shouldn't
prune the established wood after late January because then the wood bleeds
when the sap starts to rise. This weakens the plant's growth in spring.
However, this is for best cropping of grapes - if you are growing an
architectural variety I guess you could prune at any time once vigorous
growth has started.
To 'nip it in the bud' you can just rub an unwanted bud out.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

OK, I know that you can't do it from early spring onwards, but you
can do it in summer. I assume that early spring is when the buds
start to swell (indicating that the sap is rising), or perhaps a
little before that, but when does the summer pruning season start?

The reason I ask is that I have a V. coignetae that I am training
over a pergola, and it will assuredly produce a lot of shoots that
will go in directions I don't want. I can see the buds opening ....


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.