Frontenac Gris
A gray-skinned mutation of Frontenac that makes peachy, tropical white wines. It's one of the most planted cold-hardy whites in the Midwest and a favorite for dessert and ice wines.
Frontenac Gris is a white-wine grape that started life as a red one. It's a natural mutation of Frontenac that turned up in a University of Minnesota vineyard, with gray-pink skins instead of black ones. The university released it in 2003. It kept everything growers loved about its parent, including winter hardiness to about -35°F, and swapped the cherry for stone fruit.
What It Tastes Like
Frontenac Gris smells like a fruit bowl: peach, apricot, pineapple, citrus peel and sometimes a hint of honey. Like Frontenac, it has very high natural acidity. That makes it a natural for off-dry and sweet wines, where the sugar and acid balance each other. Drier versions are crisp and aromatic. Because the skins carry some color, a few days of skin contact give the wine a copper or salmon tint and a little grip.
Where It Grows
It's planted wherever Frontenac is: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Illinois, Vermont, upstate New York and northern Michigan. Many Midwest wineries bottle it on its own, and it's a common component in house white blends.
What to Look For
- Off-dry Frontenac Gris is the most common style and a crowd-pleaser on any tasting flight.
- Ice wine and late-harvest versions are where the grape really shines; the acid keeps them from being cloying.
- Skin-contact or orange wines are an adventurous style a few small producers are exploring.
- Sparkling Frontenac Gris is bright and fruity.
A further mutation, Frontenac Blanc, has fully white skins and tastes a little more citrusy and restrained.
Where to Find Frontenac Gris
Wine regions on American Winery Guide where Frontenac Gris is grown or poured: