General Information

Daniel Pambianchi, President and General Manager of Cadenza Wines Inc. has been involved in home winemaking for many years crafting many different styles of wine including traditional method sparkling wine. Daniel recently made the switch from his telecom-engineering career to found Cadenza Wines and pursue his dream of crafting world-class wines. The small-scale Maleta Estate Winery produces a selection of award-winning VQA wines and icewines available for tastings and for sale at their boutique.  

Call ahead to book a tour and experience a wine and cheese pairing session featuring local cheeses.

Hours of Operation

or by appointment.

Directions

Directions from Toronto QEW:

-Take exit 38b toward Niagara-on-the-Lake/Niagara Stone Road

-Turn right (north/east) at Glendale Avenue

-Turn right (east) at Queenston Road

Directions from Fort Erie QEW:

-Take exit 38 for Glendale Avenue

-Turn right (north/east) at Glendale Avenue

-Turn right (east) at Queenston Road

IceWINE

On a beautiful winter afternoon, visit Maleta Estate Winery and learn about the interesting process of harvesting icewine.  Icewine originated in Germany in 1794. Icewine is created by leaving the grapes on the vines until the first deep frost. The freezing and thawing cycles that happen concentrate the sugars and flavours of the grapes, creating a special taste. This process has been refined over many centuries. 

When creating Icewine in Niagara, many regulations have to be followed that are created and enforced through Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA). A key rule is that wines must be produced naturally. This means the grapes cannot be frozen artificially. Regulations such as this make icewine very difficult to make. Since grapes used to make icewine are the last grapes of the harvest, they must be guarded against harsh weather, and birds or animals. The ideal temperature for picking grapes off the vine is -10 degrees Celsius to -13 degrees Celsius.  Icewine is generally expensive and only sold in half bottles because one vine can often only create one bottle of wine. The whole process of creating icewine takes months. The grapes go through weeks of fermentation, and then months spent aging in barrels. If you are interested in the icewines of The Niagara Region, come to the Icewine Festival that usually takes place in January in Niagara!

Did you know: The Niagara Region is admired worldwide for their production of icewine.