Sustainability and Innovation at Malivoire Wine

Malivoire Wine is located on the Beamsville Bench and has been around for over twenty years. They produce twenty-four thousand cases of wine each year, and farm four vineyards within the Niagara Escarpment Viticultural Area. The four vineyards are the Moira Vineyard, Estate Vineyard, Mottiar Vineyard and Stouck Vineyard. 

Malivoire is owned by Martin Malivoire, who first purchased the Moira Vineyard in 1995. For over two decades, Martin’s winery has been certified under Ontario’s Sustainable Winemaking Program and they are members at large for Oregon’s LIVE initiative.

According to their Winemaker, Malivoire’s “goal is to leave the land in better condition than when (they) started.” With that being said, Malivoire has very high standards when it comes to sustainable practices.

For starters, they pride themselves on being the first gravity flow production facility in Niagara. In other words, this means that Malivoire uses gravity instead of pumps during the winemaking process. Since the Beamsville Bench is an elevated plateau, they utilize the slope to move the grapes from top to bottom. More specifically, the grapes go through the whole process of fermentation, press, being stored in tanks, drained, and placed into barrels, without the use of a pump.

By not using a pump, the skins and seeds are not macerated, the aromas and flavours are preserved, and overall, the pure essence of the wine stands out.

Additionally, they use several methods to reduce energy consumption in their barrel cellar. The cellar is half-embedded in the ground, so the moderating influence of the earth regulates the temperature by cooling the cellar in the summer, and heating it in the winter. The roof is exposed during colder months to trap heat from the sun’s reflection and warm the cellar. To avoid this heating during warmer seasons, the roof is covered in a canopy of leaves and vines to create shade.

Malivoire’s Winemaker, Shiraz Mottiar, has been working for the winery for almost as long as it has been in business, and he helps ensure that environmentally-friendly measures are being taken. He was a member of Brock University’s first ever graduating class from the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute in 2000. He then continued to get his BSC (Honours) in Oenology and Viticulture and became a Cellar Hand at Malivoire. After only a year, Shiraz was promoted to Assistant Winemaker, and officially became Malivoire’s Winemaker in 2005.

At the Ontario Wine Awards in 2017, Shiraz won the Winemaker of the Year award. This is not surprising considering his Winemaking philosophies. Shiraz believes that an excellent winery starts with healthy soil and vines, and in order to sustain a high level of quality, minimal human intervention is required. He also considers each new vintage as its own and aims to exceed previous flavours and expectations every year.

Now let’s talk about what is inside their bottles! The location itself is made up of clay and stone soil which impacts the complexity and feeling of the wine. This creates wine with more structure that has potential to age well for a long time and evolve over the years. So not only does the Bench itself produce marvelous grapes, but the Malivoire team also adds to this quality. For example, they use a motorized stainless steel sorting table to precisely inspect the grapes before they reach the crusher. This invention separates the grape clusters, and ensures that only the best grapes make it into their wines.

Some of their bestsellers include Reds and Rosés. For instance, their Farmstead Gamay has aromas of Niagara orchard fruits such as juicy cherries, plums and cranberries, as well as vanilla and white pepper. The flavours are open, fresh and fruity, with notes of cherry, blueberry, raspberry and spice. There is also the Ladybug Rosé which is sold in bottles as well as cans. This Rosé smells like fresh strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb and watermelon. On the palate, it has a long finish and tastes like dark cherries, other red berry fruits, pomegranates and Granny Smith apples. Both of these wines are perfect for summer!