Midwest Micro Vineyard

[FrontenacMan]

Also, I'm using neutral grape juice this year (Global Vinters Inc.). I'm not sure what grape they use but I'm lead to believe that it is a more neutral flavor and it's main purpose is to increase SG without having to add sugar. In my case I will not have enough must this year to get 6 gallons so I will use this to get there. I'm not sure if the Alexanders Pinot Noir contributed to the off flavor as well. If they add Sorbate as a preservative that would explain my problem but I can't find anywhere that this could be the case. I'm just not going to take any chances. Global Vinters, just like most wine kits don't add any preservatives up front as far as I know.

 

[KevinL]

Thanks for the Info. I imagine if I wait another two weeks or so I'll be looking at 24 degrees brix, I don't think I'll have any need for more sugar. I just checked the seeds and they look black/brown, not a hint of green on them. I think at this point it's safe to go ahead and bring them in and get them started.

As far as chipmunk fighting, I've been using a "pool of death" bucket trap, and have gotten one thus far. My neighborhood friendly red tail hawk is doing a bit of work on them as well.

 

[Masbustelo]

I left a few clusters on my Petite Pearl last spring and picked them last night. I worried about raccoons getting them. I had them bagged with paper bags and had zero problems with insects (wasps etc.), birds or animals. I got 2.5 pounds at 23 brix and 3.80 pH. I'll have to watch the pH next year as they develop. Kevin to me your acidity levels are very high and will come down if you wait. I have read that Frontenac has the capability to go to very high brix levels when ripe. I think sometimes it is cut with water a little to bring down sugar and acid levels. Maurivin B is a go-to yeast to bring down acidity levels considerably.

 

[FrontenacMan]

Nice looking grapes. Should make a nice wine. You are right about the Frontenac. You need to wait them out. I picked too soon last year and my wine was not great. I used Malolactic fermentation as per the recommendation of UW Minnesota who developed the grape. The wine turned out still to be very tart and green tasting. However, my Frontenac Gris turned out very well. I just cracked my first bottle tonight and it was very good (honestly I was surprised for my first attempt). My plan now is to plant some Marquette vines and perhaps create a blend in future years. I'm also going to try throwing in some dried fruit during fermentation (got the idea from some RJS kits that use raisins). I'm using dried cherries with my Frontenac this year and thinking about using some dried figs with the Frontenac Gris.

 

[FrontenacMan]

I am fascinated with the Petite Pearl. I read another post on this site that was talking up Crimson Pearl which apparently was bred by Tom Plocher of the University of Minnesota who also bred the Petite Pearl vine. This might be a good choice for me as a blending grape. How are your acidity levels? I need a blending grape with low acid levels to counteract the Frontenac.

 

[treesaver]

Frontenac man, you may want to ook into Plotcher's Verona also. They are touted as a low acid grape. I planted 26 Verona vines this spring, and will be a couple years yet till I have a crop, but they have put on a tremendous amout of wood for one year old vines. Wish I knew how to post a pic, As I am impressed with their growth rate. i bagged a bunch of my frontenac clusters, and while it worked to protect them from the insects, the birds figured out how to peck open some bags, and I had some sunburned grapes, I think from the bags I used. Very labor intensive, but the brix is at 24 on them, and I'm gonna pick in the morning. Been a tough year, first hail, then birds, and having to spray insecticide on my nortons and concords to keep the wasps and flys at bay! What do I want to be when I grow up..... a grape farmer!

 

[KevinL]

Update. I waited two more weeks. The Frontenac started Turning to raisins so I pulled them in. I continued battling chipmunks at the time, and now have a grand total of 9 kills to my name, mostly from the pool of death trap. It worked well. Little rodents went for the trap over the grapes, and I only ended loosing one cluster to birds (It was too close to the edge of the net) between when I last posted and when I harvested.

The numbers at crush for my Frontenac:

Sugar: 25 Degrees Brix
TA: 15 g/l
pH: 3.14

Lost a little bit of acid, got way more sugar, although some of that concentration may have come from some of the grapes dehydrating. I went ahead and stepped on them and got the fermentation going. Thanks for the advice on the yeast, I will certainly add that to my notebook. For this time, I ended up using what I had lying around (EC-1118). For all I know that could botch my batch, but as I only ended pulling 11 pounds in, it wouldn't be the end of the world.

As far as Petite Pearl, when I visited Minnesota this was the grape that was the talk of the town. A few of the Vineyards and Wineries around where I'm at (Northern Illinois) mentioned that they were interested in the grape. I went ahead and planted 75 of them earlier this spring. They're definitely not as vigorous as Frontenac, but I don't think that is going to be a bad thing. We'll see how they winter, and how they do in the spring.