I racked the Frontenac tonight and have to say I’m very happy with the flavor and body of this young wine. I used lightly toasted oak chips and they did their job just fine. Still a slight acid bite, but very workable. and a nice oaky feel/taste. Here are the numbers on it:
SG: 0.993
Brix: 7%
Alc: 11.1%
Res Sugar: 19 g/L
Just in from a some time spent in the vineyard…
The vines are all doing great. Our weather has been unseasonably cool and very dry, so I’ve been watering the vines pretty regularly. Tonight, I fertilized the newer vines with a miracle-gro type of liquid fertilizer. The new vines and recovering vines are doing great. The two new Prairie Star vines are just past the bottom wire and have a good shot at getting to the top wire this season.
The recovering vines like the Foch are doing extremely well. Most are near or above the top wire. One of them that I trimmed to 2 buds this spring has already be cut off about one foot above the top wire and is working on building canes for next season! It’s HUGE!
The Sabrevois are making progress…since I first noticed them about a month ago as teeny-tiny shoots, they are all near 1 foot tall. My hope is to get them healthy enough by this fall that they over-winter well and can continue the comeback next season.
The Frontenac vines look great with alot of fruit. The Valiant vine is also going well. Last week I noticed some signs of disease on it so I applied a liquid fungus treatment that seems have to done the trick.
Well, we’re very much in the middle of summer here in MN and the vines are certainly responding to the warmth – as long as I keep them watered. It’s been so dry I’ve even been watering some of my most mature vines that wouldn’t normally need it. Everything is doing great. The Foch are all catching up nicely, the Marquette vine has exploded this month, the surprise Sabrevois vines are doing well, the Frontenacs are huge and are carrying a nice crop, the Prairie Stars are coming back nicely. The one remaining Valiant vine is loaded with fruit. It’s battling some disease pressure at the moment due to our humidity, but I think the worst is behind us.
I think I have convinced my wife to let me plant a couple of apple trees in our backyard. My main objective was to plant a couple Honey Crisp trees. I have seen mention of dwarf specimens that are available – they look to attain 8-10 feet in height and spread. I plan to place an order this fall for delivery next spring. Check back for updates on this additional fruit-growing adventure.