Ed - It ain't winter yet! I'm not too sure about varieties other than Vidal, but Vidal has thick skins and tough stems, which make them ideal for hanging on the vines, although with prolonged hanging, strong winds with no leaves could knock some of the fruit off the vines. However, this is not necessarily a problem. If the whole bunches fall to the ground, they can remain there without being damaged. Varieties such as Riesling may develop botrytis. In '97, the year of an El Nino, which I believe we have this year also, I wanted to make ice wine from Vidal growing in a local vineyard. I purchased a half-row of grapes to be left hanging. The weather never turned cold enough, so finally I picked the grapes on January 2nd of '98 and simply made late harvest. A quick peek at the extended forcast has our area having highs in the low 30s and lows in the mid 20s Saturday through Tuesday - good time to put this year's vintage in the tool shed for cold stabilization.
