A White-Wine Grape with Peach and Apricot Notes, Hardy to -30°F Frontenac Gris Grape (Vitis 'Frontenac Gris') is a natural gray-berried mutation of Frontenac that shares its parent's incredible -30°F hardiness and vigor, but produces aromatic white and rosé wines with distinctive peach, apricot, and honey notes. It's self-fertile, productive, and disease-resistant, needing only full sun and a sturdy trellis. Whether you're starting a backyard vineyard in Edina, covering an arbor in Maple Grove, or making your own white wine in Woodbury — Frontenac Gris thrives in zone 4b–5a (and colder) gardens. Frontenac Gris Grape Plant Details Attribute Detail Scientific Name Vitis 'Frontenac Gris' (U of MN) Plant Type Deciduous fruiting vine (wine grape) Mature Length 15–20+ feet on a trellis; train to your system Sun Full sun (8+ hours) for ripening and sugar Water Moderate while establishing; fairly drought-tolerant once rooted USDA Zones 3–8 (Twin Cities is zone 4b–5a); hardy to about -30°F Soil Well-draining; tolerates a range of soils. Avoid wet, low spots; good air drainage reduces disease. Pollination Self-fertile — a single vine will fruit Use White and rosé wine; peach, apricot, and honey notes Harvest Mid- to late September in the Twin Cities Winter Hardiness Exceptional — to roughly -30°F, like its parent Frontenac Frontenac Gris Grape Uses in Minnesota Landscapes Backyard vineyard A favorite for cold-climate white wines, Frontenac Gris trains well on a two-wire trellis in full sun in a Plymouth yard. Arbors and screens Vigorous enough to cover an arbor or pergola for summer shade plus a fall harvest in Eden Prairie. White and rosé wine Its gray-pink berries press to a richly aromatic juice prized for off-dry whites, rosés, and dessert wines. Best Time to Plant Frontenac Gris Grape in Minnesota Plant in spring (late April–May) after hard frost so the vine has a full season to establish. Fall planting is not recommended for grapes here. Never plant after mid-October. How to Plant Frontenac Gris Grape Choose the sunniest, best-drained spot — a south or west slope is ideal for ripening and air drainage. Install the trellis before or at planting; grapes need sturdy support from year one. Dig a hole 2–3× the root width; backfill with native soil and some compost. Don't over-fertilize. Space vines 6–8 feet apart along the trellis. Water in well and mulch lightly, keeping mulch off the trunk. The first two years, train a single strong trunk and remove fruit so the vine builds structure. Watering Frontenac Gris Grape in Minnesota First Year Watering Schedule Weeks 1–2: Every 2–3 days, deep and slow Month 1–2: Every 4–5 days Month 3–6: Weekly; deep but infrequent watering encourages deep roots Stop watering 2–3 weeks before ground freeze (typically late October in the Twin Cities). After Year One Established vines are fairly drought-tolerant; water only during extended dry spells. Avoid a constantly wet root zone, which invites disease. How is it different from Frontenac? It's a color mutation — same hardiness and vigor, but gray berries that make aromatic white and rosé wines instead of red. When and how do I prune it? Prune in late winter while dormant, removing about 80–90% of last year's growth. Grapes fruit on new shoots from one-year-old wood, so annual hard pruning is essential. Will it survive a Minnesota winter? Yes — to about -30°F, among the hardiest grapes. No burial needed; site it for good air drainage. You May Also Like Frontenac Grape — the red-wine parent variety La Crescent Grape — an aromatic white with apricot notes Itasca Grape — a newer hardy white from the U of MN How Many Frontenac Gris Grapes Do I Need? Space vines 6–8 ft apart on a two-wire trellis. A single vine is self-fertile and productive; plant a row to make real batches of white or rosé. Trellis Length Vines Needed (~7 ft spacing) 14 ft 3 21 ft 4 28 ft 5 35 ft 6 Frontenac Gris Grape Season-by-Season in Minnesota Spring: Buds break after late-winter pruning; fruiting shoots emerge on last year's wood. Summer: Vigorous canes fill the trellis; gray-pink berries develop in full sun. Fall: Aromatic gray clusters ripen mid- to late September for peach-and-apricot whites and rosés. Winter: Dormant and tough to about -30°F like its Frontenac parent — no winter burial needed. At a Glance ✔ Edible ✔ Drought-Tolerant Plant It With Frontenac Grape — the red-wine parent variety. La Crescent Grape — another aromatic hardy white with apricot notes. Itasca Grape — a newer low-acid U of MN white. Marquette Grape — a hardy red to balance a white-heavy vineyard. Is Frontenac Gris Grape Right for Your Yard? Like its parent, Frontenac Gris needs full sun, sharp drainage, good air flow, and a sturdy trellis with yearly pruning to crop well — perfect for a sunny slope or arbor. Avoid planting it in a wet, shady, or frost-prone low spot where the fruit won't ripen and rot becomes a problem.
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