Malivoire Gamay (2012)

Food and wine … a splendid marriage for the ages.

Starting in 2014, I’ll be adding a few wine reviews to my blog. I make no pretensions of being a wine critic or sommelier. I have no credentials other than my palette which loves to explore and taste. And while I have no pretensions, I also have no intention of being pretentious. I love wine — pure and simple — and I love wine with food. What you’re going to therefore receive are the ruminations and experiences of foodie, not a wine expert. In keeping with so much about my explorations, it is also my intention, as much as possible, to “review” local wines, wines from Ontario and Canada in general. I’ll leave the serious wine reviews to others. In short, I’m going to write as I always do, from my heart and from my experience. So if I don’t follow conventions, I’m sorry, but I’ll leave that for others. I’m here to drink wine…

First up, then, is a great wine from a great Niagara winery which is to be admired as much for their commitment to sustainable viniculture as their production of striking wines. Situated in a ravine outside of Beamsville, Malivoire built the winery to use the natural pull of gravity into the wine-making process. This contributes to a “natural” and gentle movement (with less bruising) of the wine through the process without the use of pumps.

The 2012 version of their Gamay leaves a beautiful round taste in the mouth. Right off the top, you’ll be greeted by raspberries and huge cherries … but not a dark cherry, more of a cooking cherry, bright and slightly tart. With definite notes of creamy dark chocolate in the aftertaste, the wine reminds me of my dark chocolate brownies with cherries … so even if it isn’t there, I definitely get a smidgen of cinnamon to go with it. Good notes of alcohol in the back of the mouth that rounds things out. Drinks much stronger than 12.5% would indicate. All in all, a very desserty wine that begs to be paired with a rich, flavourful food to pull it together.

Ready to drink now, I paired it with it with my grilled pork tenderloin glazed with a molasses-banana-date sauce and the wine not only stood up, it paired well. While the flavours of the wine didn’t stand out in this pairing, the tart red fruit flavours worked well with the rich sauce and pork. Another great pairing would be a rustic Canadian baked beans.

Stats:

• Price: $17.95
• Alcohol: 12.5%
• Where to buy: LCBO
• Food Pairing: Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Banana-Date Glaze

Rating: 88/100