I have good news and bad news. Good news is that there was an eyewitness account of how Bill got the grape from Univ of Arkansas. Also, good news is that I didn't get overly specific with a lot of details related to me. I am so glad I didn't write down on the internet everything I was told, from what I thought was a very authoritative source! I include the link below to a poster called LonRom, and he is the eyewitness. Bad news is, that my info in 2008 is apparently grossly in error. I will chalk it up to medication side-effects, old age, failing memory, and maybe one too many apricot brandies when swapping war stories. Bill died about 5 years after I met him. I can no longer go to the source. Rest in Peace, Bill my friend! Here is a link that might be useful: LonRom's eyewitness account

Bart, the primary difference in the grapes you mention is your wine grapes are pure vinafera and the table grapes are hybrid vinafera/american. There is some difference in table vs wine but the vinafera/hybrid difference is bigger. Most hybrid grapes are much more resistant to diseases but it does vary from variety to variety. I am a primarily organic grower and I found vinafera a huge pain which took up way too much of my time so I pulled out my wine grapes this spring. I now have primarily hybrids and just a couple vinafera table grapes. Usually by now I have had to do 4-5 sprays but this year I have done only one and the grapes still look fine (even the couple vinafera look fine - their neighbors are all un-diseased and that must help). So, a rough guide is half or fewer sprays are needed; save your tank leftovers for them. As far as pruning goes I used the same for all types but I am not in to all of the subtle stuff of grape pruning. Some table varieties are considered better pruned to canes and other pruned to spurs, but I always used spur pruning for all my grapes. Scott

I'm not a winemaker but am growing a seeded grape called Schuyler, I believe it is a wine grape. I thought it had not made it competing with the other seedless grapes but this year for the first time I had quite a few big bunches of seeded grapes, so it must be it. The problem is that the rain we had caused big sections of molded grapes in the bunches, plus they were still green, but I picked them anyway to pull out the molded grapes. Would the mold ruin wine, because I can't think what else to do with green grapes. I left some bunches on that didn't have mold in hopes they can still ripen. I've never got any before to even taste them.

That sound delicious. :) You didn't say for how many people or how big your chill bowl is. --My mind also went right to buffet when I wrote this up!-- If it's for a manageable number and you have the dishes to do it, what I'd do is fill a nice looking pan, a big stoneware lasagna would be ideal, but even a stainless roaster would work. Find (or make with a utility knife and packing tape) a cardboard box that it fits into fairly snugly. Just an inch or two around. Line the box with plastic bags or waxed paper. Cover the outside with wrapping paper, or maybe a small holiday tablecloth, if you have one sitting around, but paper is easier because you can tape it in place. Day of, spray a beach towel that goes with the table decor with water to just damp, and put in the freezer for several hours. Chill the pan as well. Line the box with the towel, including up the sides and set the pan inside, arranging the towel nicely around it. Fill the pan with big ice cubes (they melt slower). Then I'd put the frozen grapes in small, chilled vessels in the pan. The vessels could be anything from shot glasses to small custard dishes to stubby martini glasses, if you don't have tasting bowls. There are plenty of disposables, both the washable ones and one use kind, that would work. If you have space, you can put extra "shots" in the freezer ready to refill the server, but it would also be easy enough to make up more on the fly. Now that I've realized you didn't say "buffet", if you have room in the freezer for it, you can do the same thing with the cups on a flat tray during a lull in your prep time, and put them in the freezer. Otherwise, just chill the vessels, add the grapes and serve around from a tray, and maybe put the extras in your chill bowl to look good on the table and provide refills. Anyway, that's what I'd do. :)