More about Maleta

This is a follow up to Wine & Herb day 2 (Riesling)

Maleta was a little hard to find, and even a little hard to spot from the road, and its exterior doesn't look like much. When we entered the property's small cottage-turned-retail-space, though, we were greeted with a very genuine "Welcome to our winery" which set the tone for the rest of the visit. As I've mentioned before, sometimes small wineries don't take full advantage of passport events, being more concerned with cost minimization than capitalizing on the opportunities walking through their doors. Maleta certainly avoided this mistake; the hostess (who, from what she said, is the spouse of either the winemaker or the owner,) explained to us that the food pairing would take a few minutes to prepare, so offered us a glass of the 2009 Rose Reserve made from a blend of gamay and merlot. I didn't take many notes on this one, as it wasn't the 'main event,' - and I was thirsty! I do remember thinking cranberry, and that unlike many roses, this one isn't candy, or 'boat wine' as I now call it. However, the winery's website has very descriptive tasting notes (copied below) that really ring true of my two tasting experiences.

Wine	2009 Rosé Reserve	2008 RIESLING (MEDIUM-DRY)
Price	$15.95 (750 mL)	$16.95 (750 mL)
% Alcohol	12.0% alc.	11.5 % alc
Sight, Smell & Taste	This wine shows a very pretty salmon pink. A delicate nose of red berries with just a hint of wet leaves – it’s really amazingly complex for a rosé. Light and fruity in the mouth, flavours exhibit strawberry and cherry fruit with a hint of red licorice. It finishes dry with lingering cranberry notes. A very refreshing wine with enough structure for light protein dishes such as roast chicken or veal scaloppine and makes a special companion for onion tart.	Pale gold with subtle green highlights, the colour is still showing youth. The nose is delicate with green apple, lime and just enough of Riesling’s petrolly pungency to make it more interesting. The mouthfeel is gentle and elegant with a round smoothness and flavours of green apple, lemon and lime.The finish delivers some zippy acidity and plenty of length. This is an all round sipper for easy drinking on its own or served with sole almondine, seafood risotto or creamy pasta.
Aging Potential	Perfect for your valentine, or enjoy it with Easter ham and summer picnics. Drink by the end of 2012.	There is no need to wait, drink now, although the wine will cellar well into 2013.

The hostess' passion for her products really set this visit apart from the others. She spoke enthusiastically about their new branding efforts to distinguish their three wine categories; the Grape Brain label is intended to be approachable for easy drinking, the View label lends itself to fine dining and the Meritage wears its own label to set it apart as the winery's signature product. She also pointed out the winery's tendency to age its bottles before releasing them, so when you buy them they're ready to fully enjoy. Finally, she shared with us the story of how, upon learning that her assigned herb was pineapple-sage, she had to Google it to find out what it was, then find recipes that included it, then learn how to make marmalade, then select a wine to match it all. She made it sound like a labour of love. The result was excellent, and highlighted both the riesling and the pineapple-sage while other wineries hid their assigned spice in a dish that best showed off their wine. All in all, Maleta's efforts paid off as I will return, taste, and buy several of their wines in the future, once we've made more room in our bar.