fRONTENAC IS ONE OF THE MOST VERSATILE HYBRID VARIETIES THERE IS. Oops- cap lock.
It might not be Frontenac though with pH that high with a TA that low and only 23 brix. Normal numbers are 25-26 brix- pH 3.05 and TA 14-16. You will know for sure when you ask him though. You do need to lower the acids. You can use D-47 yeastto help with that and then definitely malo is in order. It takes well to oak, just don't overdo the amount- don't want to hide the fruit. You can finish it dry, semi-dry, sweet and make it port style.
Here is the enology info from Unniversity of Minnesota
<H2 =home>Enology</H2>
<H3>Frontenac Wine</H3>
Handling Frontenac isn't difficult; it's just different. Fortunately, these differences can be manipulated to produce a variety of wine styles. This allows the production of several marketable styles from one crop, and gives the winemaker options in years when the growing season has been less than optimal
Average harvest chemistry from the HRC vineyard (2003-2005):
°Brix: 25.1
TA: 15.4 g/L
pH: 2.9
Wine style. As with any grape cultivar, the desired style of wine must be determined at the time of harvest. Frontenac has the potential to produce outstanding dry red, sweet red, rosé, and port wines. Modifications in winemaking strategies are necessary to take advantage of Frontenac's four variations from traditional wine grapes. It is more highly colored than most V. vinifera, it has higher sugar and acid content at harvest, and it tends to have low tannin.
The adage "Great wines are made in the vineyard!" is very appropriate for Frontenac. Good canopy management practices are essential to reduce acidity during veraison, and minimize herbaceous character in the wine. Frontenac is also often mistakenly harvested when the sugar level approaches 23° Brix. In Minnesota, grapes harvested at 23° Brix can have acidity levels >16 g/L (1.6%), which is extremely difficult to correct in the winery. It is not uncommon for Frontenac to reach 25° Brix or more prior to harvest. Proper vineyard sampling and the testing of acidity is the best way to determine the right time to harvest. Regardless of desired style, letting the fruit hang until the acid falls below 15g/L (if possible) is the best way to ensure palatable acidity in the final product. Netting and bird scare devices can be used to protect the fruit in the field from bird damage.
Rosé and Sweet Red. Like the fruit of its V. riparia ancestors, Frontenac berries are small, have high skin-to-pulp ratios, and tend to have colored pulp. These traits result in intense juice color. For rosé production, this means that immediate crushing and pressing, without the few hours of skin time allowed in traditional rosé production, results in an intense and attractive rose-colored juice. It may be possible to fine to produce a color more traditional and delicate. However, fining trials are essential to minimize the risk of a sickly salmon-colored result. For sweet red wines, 1-2 days of maceration are all that are necessary to achieve a true red color.
Cool (55°F) fermentation with an aromatic yeast, like Cotes de Blancs, is recommended. Acid-reducing yeasts (e.g. 71B) have reduced the post-fermentation titratable acidity (TA) 2-3 g/L while maintaining desirable aromas and flavors. Malolactic fermentation is not a recommended acid-reducing strategy for rosé and sweet red wines. If potassium sorbate, a yeast inhibitor, is used after MLF to prevent bottle fermentation, an intense and unpleasant geranium odor develops. Cold-stabilization, followed by chemical reduction in acidity is essential. The low pH of Frontenac enables significant chemical reduction of acidity without raising the pH to an unsafe level. Slight amelioration can be used to reduce the alcohol below 14% while reducing the acidity as well.
The nose and palate showcase a bright cherry note that is enhanced by an off-dry finish and moderate acidity. Depending on the fruit, sugar levels from bone dry to moderately sweet have shown appropriate balance and customer acceptance.
Dry Red. Flavors and aromas of Frontenac table wines can range from simple to quite complex. Typical skin time ranges form 5-8 days, with caps punched a minimum of thrice daily. The resulting color is a dark, attractive garnet. Pre-fermentation pectinase addition is not recommended, as it inhibits good cap formation. In research trials, high-extracting yeasts (Pasteur Red, RC 212, BM 45), with long maceration times have produced the most complex wines.
Malolactic fermentation is essential for the production of a traditional red table wine. The combination of high alcohol and low pH are difficult conditions for ML bacteria. Tolerant, aggressive strains should be selected and added when the wine is about 2/3 finished with primary fermentation. Adding ML bacteria during primary allow them to adapt to higher alcohol levels, and will reduce the potential for a sluggish secondary fermentation. After the completion of MLF, cold-stabilization followed by chemical reduction of acidity is typical to bring the wine into balance.
Oak chips, staves, spirals, and barrels interact well with Frontenac wine. All can increase aromatic and flavor complexity, adding notes of vanilla, anise, clove, and other spices. Barrel aging also increases the concentration of flavors in the wine and enhances the structure. Enological tannins are available, but can create a disharmonious mouthfeel if too much is added. As more tannin products are available and more winemakers experiment with them, this option may become more approachable, but the inexperienced should approach it with caution.
Port. A few creative producers have used Frontenac to produce port-style wines of outstanding quality. In port production, fermentation is stopped through the addition of grape neutral spirits while sugar content is still high, resulting in a product with higher sugar and 15-20% alcohol. The higher acid levels balance the increased sugar beautifully, deepening the typical fruit notes into lush shades of cherry, raspberry, black currant, and stewed fruits. Some Frontenac ports exhibit pronounced chocolate notes, which seems dependent on vineyard microclimate. This dessert wine is a showstopper; a Frontenac port won a consensus gold at the 2004 Indy Wine Festival. It wouldn't be surprising to see an increase in commercial production in the coming seasons.
