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Wine Appreciation Through Education |
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4260 King Street East Beamsville, Ontario L0R 1B0 (905) 563-9253 |
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In a wine region that's dominated by rustic cottage wineries and mini castles, Malivoire's structure stands out for its distinctly unassuming and utilitarian appearance. The winery is, in fact, little more than a quonset hut, albeit a rather large and specialized quonset hut. The well-manicured entranceway leads into the tasting room, which is also the ground floor of the winery. You won't find any wine trinkets here; the winery is all business and the tasting room team serves up current vintages and nothing else. While acknowledging the value of a more conventional wine boutique, Malivoire makes no apology for choosing to focus 100% on the wines. A tour of the winery begins upstairs and out the back door. Here one sees the usual row upon row of grapevines. But these vines seem to be much too close together, too close to allow machines into the vineyards. Our genial and very knowledgeable guide, marketing manager Elena Galey-Pride, explains that the vineyards are tended completely by hand, including intensive bunch thinning mid-season, and hand harvesting in the fall. Although the vineyards are not organic, the viticulturists use environmentally friendly approaches as often as possible. The winery "mascot" -- the ladybug -- was chosen because ladybugs are called on to do the majority of insect control. |
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| Once harvested, the grapes are trucked to the upper level of the winery. From there they begin a gradual downward journey. Rather than pumping the must from tank to tank, the winery relies on gravity flow almost exclusively. The care taken with the growing, the harvesting and the vinification shows through in the wines. Yes, these are "premium" wines, but the price tags reflect the care, attention and time that have gone into the wines. Here are the wines available for sampling the day I visited the winery. | |
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Medium honey-straw colour. Toasty oak, caramel, butter, ripe apples, tropical fruits, and a touch of petrol. Fat, with up-front yummy oak, citrus notes and a solid spine of acidity on the palate. Very good length that finishes with a sweet fruitiness. Totally yummy: buy lots. |
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Mid-straw colour with a hint of green. Subtle oak, baked lemon, peach, and baked fruit aromas. Rich, creamy and toasty with a solid acidity. Full, almost to the point of fat; very long and crisp. Elegant and classy. |
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Medium straw with a touch of honey colour. Subtle oak, sweet apples and peach on the nose. Amazingly yummy, with rich, fruits and awesome oak. Elegant, rich and fat. Very long, with huge fruit flavours all the way through. A meaty wine that actually earns the price tag. |
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Medium candy apple pink. Aromas include red berries, crushed leaves, herbs, cherry, and a touch of citrus. (I detect Gamay here.) Spicy on the palate with just a suspicion of tannin and a fresh acidity. Good body and length. Refreshing but enough stuffing to work well at the table. |
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Rich ruby colour with a slight purple overtone. Aromas of tobacco, root vegetables, wood, herbs, and tar. Soft on the palate, with little tannins, a light acidity and cherry flavours. Medium body and length. Easy drinking with good Pinot character. |
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Deep cherry, almost black in the glass. Rich, spicy oak, tobacco, plums, barnyard, and deli meat on the nose, with a smooth, firm acidity and silky, almost non-existent tannins. Classic coolness on the tongue with gobs of meaty character. Good body and length. Total class. An exceptional wine that demands to be shown off. |
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Full dark cherry colour. Pinot-like on the nose with aromas of tobacco, beets, cherries, and underbrush. Just a hint of oak on the palate. Yummy, slightly sweet fruit, with a young, tart acidity. Good body and length. Should be at least as good as the 2000 once it's had some time to integrate. |
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Deep honey lemon colour. Presents rich aromas of ripe apricot, honey and baked peaches. Very viscous, fat and creamy, with honey and baked apple flavours and a firm acidic core. Medium-full bodied, long and elegant, with huge fruit throughout its length. Very firm on the palate. Elegant and luscious, and at a very reasonable price. |
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Tasting Date: September 11/02 |
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