Born and raised in small-town Ontario, Shiraz Mottiar was pursuing higher education in the business realm when an inner voice detoured him to winemaking. He entered the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute at Brock University and was a member of its first graduating class in 2000.

In the fall of that year, Shiraz joined the staff of Malivoire as a Cellar Hand. Within a year he was promoted to Assistant Winemaker.

In 2002, Shiraz was given temporary leave to take his skills to the Yarra Valley of Australia. Joining the staff of Coldstream Hills Winery for its fall harvest, he was described by the winery's founder, wine judge and author James Halliday, as "one of the stars of the vintage." Shiraz returned to Malivoire for another two vintages before taking the reins as winemaker in the summer of 2005.

Shiraz personifies Malivoire's founding philosophy: a winery’s excellence begins with healthy soil and vines, and depends on minimal human manipulation of the fruit and its wine. He respects each vintage as a unique event and allows this to influence his methods. His passion is to allow each vintage to express its own unique character, reflecting the year in which it was grown. Shiraz also believes that the Niagara Peninsula, as a young wine region, is still defining its terroir. He is determined that his wines, with each succeeding vintage, will contribute to that definition.

At the end of his day, Shiraz returns home to his own Beamsville Bench vineyard, where he farms three hectares of young Pinot noir and Chardonnay vines. This home vineyard is now into its third year of production.

A devotee of quality of life, Shiraz reserves time for travel, the enjoyment of live music, outdoor recreation, and catching butterflies with his two children.