Study Background information Some sources of hardy vines.
to see other varieties please scroll down to the choices list Landal family in Central Ontario.
Frontenac is a very cold hardy vine and has borne a full crop after temperatures as low as -30 F. It is also a very disease resistant variety with good resistance to powdery mildew and near-immunity to downy. Frontenac's small black berries are produced on medium to large clusters that are usually slightly loose. As a result, berry splitting and bunch rot have been rare, even in wet years. Frontenac has been a consistently heavy producer and sometimes requires cluster thinning.
Frontenac is a vigorous variety and usually becomes established very quickly. Typical spacing on fertile soils would be about 8' between vines. Best results to date have been obtained training Frontenac to an upper cordon system with canes. Frontenac produces only a moderate number of tendrils, which facilitates vine management.
In Minnesota, Frontenac ripens in late-midseason, about 10 days after Foch. It is important to let the fruit hang long enough to fully mature in order to reduce the acidity to workable levels. This becomes less of a problem when Frontenac is grown further south under warmer conditions. Fortunately, the pH does not often rise to dangerous levels. Frontenac is a good sugar producer with 24-25 brix not uncommon.
Frontenac wine typically has a pleasant cherry aroma with berry and plum evident in many cases. The herbaceousness of its wild riparia background is almost entirely absent. The color is usually a garnet red, but can become excessively dark with long periods of skin time. Malolactic fermentation is essential to reduce the wine's high acidity. Tannin levels are usually relatively low.
Comments from the Canada Vintage website. Scroll down this site for variety descriptions from Anthony Carone.
HARDY RED VARIETIES
HARDY WHITE VARIETIES
HARDY RED VARIETIES
HARDY WHITE VARIETIES
To see results please visit the variety results chart page a University of Minnesota Release
Comments from the Minnesota Grape Growers Association. Introduced in 1995, Frontenac is the first in a series of new wine grape varieties developed by the University of Minnesota for Upper Midwest conditions. A cross of V. riparia 89 with the French hybrid Landot 4511, Frontenac combines many of the best characteristics of each parent.
VARIETIES BEING TESTED:
CHARTS OF RESULTS
DM 8521-1 ES 4-7-25 ES 5-17 Frontenac Kate Lin
Landal Noir (244) Landot Noir (4511) Lucie Kuhlman Sabrevois St. Croix
Delisle ES 6-16-30 ES 8-2-43 Frontenac Gris Geisenheim 318
La Crescent Louise Swenson Prairie Star Swenson White Vandal Cliche
INFORMATION ABOUT THE VARIETIES
DM 8521-1 ES 4-7-25 ES 5-17 Frontenac Kate Lin
Landal Noir (244) Landot Noir (4511) Lucie Kuhlman Sabrevois St. Croix
Delisle ES 6-16-30 ES 8-2-43 Frontenac Gris Geisenheim 318
La Crescent Louise Swenson Prairie Star Swenson White Vandal Cliche
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