Yesterday I ran down the near-misses to my Top 10 List of my favourite Niagara wineries to visit. Today the countdown begins.
The tank room, separated by a glass wall, makes for a cool view behind the counter of this Beamsville winery, where nobody in Ontario makes Gamay Noir and Rosé better than chief winemaker Shiraz Mottiar.
Another great reason to visit the place is the ever-present Cheesy Guys truck outside the winery entrance during the warmer months (the artisan cheese display is kept indoors once the winter rolls around.)
Sustainability has been at the core of Malivoire’s winemaking and wine-growing philosophy since its inception more than 20 years ago. The nature of the winery’s design itself—buried into the side of a hill—helps cool the cellar in summer, while warming it once the snow begins to fly.
“The roof, exposed in the winter, absorbs heat from the sun’s reflection to warm the interior,” the winery adds. “In summer, however, the roof hides under a cooling green canopy of leaves from the intertwining vines that grow around the structure.”
If there seems to be a little more creativity to this whole production than normal, perhaps you can attribute it to the winery’s owner, Martin Malivoire. As a former director of motion picture special effects, his pre-winery career included work on such Hollywood motion pictures as Resident Evil and A Christmas Story—the latter of which saw his team fashion the movie’s iconic leg lamp.
And if you’re in a celebratory mood while visiting—or even if you’re not—try the Che Bella, a Prosecco-styled blend of vidal, riesling and seyval—great value for under $18.
Check out all of TheLushLife.ca’s Top 10 Niagara Wineries:
#1: Domaine Queylus
#2. Creekside
#3. Tawse
#4. Kacaba
#5. Southbrook
#6. Vineland
#7. Colaneri
#8. Ravine
#9. Back 10
#10. Malivoire
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