Alvento Winery
Alvento Winery, located in Vineland, was founded in 2011 near the waterfront of Lake Ontario. The 13.4-acre vineyard is owned by the Zhang family, who fell in love with the region five years ago. Small batch wines are now crafted from established vines that offer quality fruit with subtle complexities.
Historically known for its quality wines, Alvento Winery has teamed up with expert Ontario winemaker Marc Pistor who understands the desirable cool-climate and special soils of the region. With decades of winemaking experience in Ontario, Marc brings his passion and expertise and seeks to tell the story of local wine through the unique terroir of the property. Classic premium winemaking grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Nebbiolo, and Viognier are grown in light sandy soils that warm early and easily in spring and the heavier soils of red clay loam which provides thick and fertile pockets with high water-holding capacity. This unique combination of earth and climate are what make Alvento wines anything but ordinary.
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The story behind Alvento
Alvento began in 2001, started by a Tuscan winemaker and his wife who had run a Super Tuscan estate in Italy before starting over in Niagara. They planted a small Vineland vineyard with an Italian eye for reds.
The winery has since changed hands, but that founding taste for structured, old-world reds still shapes it.
Bordeaux blends and Nebbiolo
Alvento stays small and focused on serious reds, an unusual choice in a region better known for Riesling and Chardonnay. Bordeaux-style blends lead the way, alongside the Italian grape Nebbiolo and some Viognier.
Winemaker Marc Pistor works in small, careful batches, aiming for reds with grip and age. It is very much a boutique, hidden-gem kind of place.
Frequently asked questions
What is Alvento known for?
Alvento is a small Vineland winery known for structured, old-world reds: Bordeaux-style blends and the Italian grape Nebbiolo, plus some Viognier. It has an Italian founding story and a boutique, hidden-gem reputation.
Where is Alvento?
In Vineland, in the Twenty Valley of the Niagara Escarpment, Ontario. It is a small boutique estate that leans toward reds rather than the whites much of Niagara is known for.
Why the Italian connection?
Alvento was founded by Tuscan transplants who had made wine in Italy before coming to Niagara, and that shows in the focus on Bordeaux blends and Nebbiolo. The estate has changed hands since, but the old-world red style has carried through.