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W i n e s & V i n e s A P R i L 2 0 1 4 79 for ice wine production on vine health, and particularly on winter survival. A few years ago, while speaking at a conference in Ontario, many grapegrowers asked me whether leaving grapes on the vines into the winter would impact their survival. Vidal growers along the Lake Erie shores in Ohio have asked the same thing, and it is a simple question that expects a simple answer. I realized that with the exception of an early report on optimum cropping of Vidal in Michigan, there is no published in- formation on the impact of delayed harvest on winter hardiness of Vidal intended for ice wine production. That was the impetus for this project: to investigate the impact of different crop levels by cluster thinning and harvest date on yield, fruit quality and pri- marily winter hardiness of Vidal grapevines grown in northern Ohio. Experiment description This study used 23-year-old Vidal vines planted at a spacing of 8 feet x 10 feet and trained to a bilateral cordon at a height of 6 feet. The vines were spur-pruned, followed by shoot thinning, to maintain 40 shoots per vine at the 6- to 8-inch shoot-length stage. Shoot positioning and cluster thin- ning (but not leaf pulling) were also carried out at pea-size berry stage to retain either 40 or 60 clusters per vine. Treatments were then harvested on three dates: 1) normal harvest, or the typical commercial harvest; 2) fall harvest, which Commercial harvest of Vidal for ice wine production is possible with mechanical harvesters. This picture shows Vidal grapes in bins after mechanical harvest. EASTERN WINE LABS Serving the Analytical needs of East Coast Wineries WWW.EASTERNWINELABS.COM Ph 609-859-4302 Cell 609-668-2854 chemist@easternwinelabs.com AOAC Member EasternWineLab_Mar09.qxp 1/22/09 9:47 AM Page 1 Excellent for spraying: VINEYARDS, vegetables, orchards, nurseries, Christmas trees, mosquitoes, cattle, chicken houses, etc. Low Maintenance High Performance Motor Models available S a l es C om pa n y – Mist Sprayers – References available in your area American Made We offer a complete line of low volume mist blowers. For free brochure contact: Swihart Sales Co. 7240 County Road AA, Quinter, KS 67752 785-754-3513 or 800-864-4595 www.swihart-sales.com Vidal Blanc is a popular variety for ice wine production in the eastern U.S. and Canada. Vidal Blanc is typically trained on a high, bi-lateral cordon system. This picture shows nets were lifted before the first normal harvest. WineEast