Alvento Releases Fine Euro-styled Niagara Wines

The following article about Alvento Winery and their new reds to be released February 28 is by Wine Access editor David Lawrason and can be found on his website. To visit his site, follow the link below.  

A small winery called Alvento situated astride Jordan Harbour in Niagara is set to deliver impressive Euro syled reds - including an intriguing nebbiolo - in its first full-on release February 28. Originally founded in Tuscany by Bruno and Elayne Moos, they moved the venture to Niagara in 2001, and after five years of viticultural toil they are releasing their first substantial quantities this month. There are three reds based of varying proportions of Bordeaux varieties, plus a nebbiolo and one white, a 2007 Viognier called Vio that captures fine texture but is a bit yeasty at the moment. The reds are some of the most impressive of the difficult 2006 vintage in Niagara, finding that smooth, fine, well stuffed yet harmonized texture that many New World inspired, enthusiastically fruity wines lack. But they are not green. They are complex, elegant and very long on the finish. The nebbiolo, aged 24 months in new French oak, is particularly interesting - a spicy, peppery showboat given the long new oak enhancement, yet capturing the nebbiolo grape's classic firm acidity and tannin. Maybe this grape, that grows so well in Barolo's 44-degree latititude, is not such a stretch of the imagination in Niagara's 43.5 degree latitude. Neither are the reds inspired by Bordeaux, which also lies at 44 degrees. Go to www.alvento.ca.

Visit David Lawrason's website: www.davidlawrason.com