[jaws]

I have a grape vine growing outdoors over a pergola. It was grown primarily for shade and the bunches of grapes hanging dpwn made you think you were in the med!!!(If you squinted hard and drank enough vino)
Seriously, for the first few years I let it grow unchecked. The grapes were extremelty abundant and a pleasant flavour although tiny - mainly skin and pip. I did have a few gallons of wine on a couple of years I bothered to harvest. I decided I would try and force them to grow to a more edible size so last year pruned most of the developing bunches off. However  the birds have discovered them too and as the bunches did not ripen uniformly and the birds picked them off one by one as they did. The patio was just a mess of discarded grapes, pips and purple poo.
Does anyone else have an outdoor vine and how do you produce grapes of an eating size and keep the birds off - any advice would be appriciated. I have started putting half a stocking leg round the developing bunch to protect them from the birds but will this be detremental to the grapes?

[Trillium]

Here's a practical if wordy solution. Most of the sites I checked offer the same advice.

http://healingmagichands.wordpress.com/2007/07/15/how-to-keep-birds-out-of-your-grapes/

[tode]

Have you had any problem with mildew on your vine?
If so, what have you found to work best?
Regards

[jaws]

Thanks for the replies
Trillium - I looked at the site you suggested and will try the bagging method first, with tights, as they will keep the birds out - the netting will also keep the people out of the pergola
Tode - I have not had mildew, the vine is open above and below - but that is what I am worried I might cause mould/mildew with the bunches restricted in bags.
I'll let you know what happens
The birds (including my own chickens) get most of my produce - raspberries and logan berries - but I don't begrudge those as I rarely get to pick them