Philosophy & Terroir
Philosophy
Wines of Elegance, Minerality and Longevity
The virtue of winemaking lies in listening to the whispers of Mother Nature and reciprocating with the right amount of care and attention. Cutting edge equipment is combined with up to the minute scientific research and our own experience to help guide this fascinating creation of nature into wine.
Leaving our Footprints in the Vineyards and our Soul in the Cellar
Our picking date is determined purely on tasting for phenolic ripeness in our berries, it is a decision based on flavour. Each berry is treated with the greatest respect by careful selection and delicate hand-picking. The berries are gently packed into 18 kg lug boxes and transported to the cellar in the early morning while temperatures are cool.
At our cellar every individual berry is meticulously hand selected on our sorting table, ensuring only the very best are used for making our fine wines. Attention to detail is our focus, with the ultimate care taken for each and every grape.
Fermentation takes place in modern stainless steel fermenters and malolactic fermentation, depending on the wine, takes place in barrel. After fermentation, the wine is matured in selected French oak barrels. Each barrel is specifically selected for a particular wine and wine style. Every detail is considered – the specific coopers, origin of the oak, toasting of the oak and size of the barrel.
Guiding our Grapes from Vine to Wine
Each individual barrel’s evolution is closely monitored throughout the total maturation period which, for our red varietals, can last for a period of up to 19 months.
When the time is right, the art of blending comes into play where we creatively blend each component into a masterpiece, to complete the process which began in our vineyards, watched over by Mother Nature.
Estate Wines
The fine wines hand crafted at Uva Mira are made using only grapes from the vineyards on the estate, to truly express the unique traits of this remarkable site. A golden thread runs through our wine portfolio which speaks of elegance, purity of fruit, freshness, minerality & longevity.
Sustainability
Our vision truly comes into reality with the sustainable viticulture, visible from the moment one enters our Estate. You may see the owl and bat boxes resting between tree branches, perches for birds of prey standing tall between the vines and beehives lying alongside the vineyards. It is not uncommon to spot baboons stealing grapes, a duiker dashing between the vines at dusk, owls surveying the vineyards or a meandering caracal or porcupine as nightfalls.
Farming in harmony with nature
Cellar recycling and the returning of waste products to our vineyards is fundamental in creating a
harmonious environment for nature and the animals that roam the farm.
Terroir
Much of the country lay under an inland sea on the super-continent of Gondwana until its plates first collided, then tore apart into Africa, South America, Australia and Antarctica some 400-million years ago. The effects of this can still be seen along the serrated, mountainous coastline of the Western Cape.
Soil
Uva Mira Mountain Vineyards is situated in the coastal region of South Africa, an area that boasts some of the oldest soils in the world. These soils formed part of the super-continent of Gondwana until its plates first collided, then tore apart into Africa, South America, Australia and Antarctica some 400-million years ago. Evidence of this lies in the tall, weathered mountains that grace the surrounding landscape and the Helderberg Mountain Range against which our vineyards nestle.
Great care is taken when designating our vineyard sites to a particular rootstock, varietal and clone. The latest in technological research has been carried out on soil profiling of each individual vineyard to unlock nature’s secrets as to which rootstock, varietal and clone will flourish in each specific location.
Climate
The Winkler Scale*, also referred to as the heat summation scale, is a technique for classifying the climate of wine growing regions. In the system, geographical areas are divided into five climate regions based on temperature, known as Regions I–V. Different grape varietals are thought to thrive in specific regions. Uva Mira falls in Region II which is thought to be the ideal climate for the cultivars and style of wines that we produce.
*The Winckler Scale system was developed at the University of California by A. T. Winkler and M.A. Amerine
Influences of Climate
Altitude
Elevation affects overall climate as for every 100 metres above than sea level, average temperature decreases by 1.0 °C. Our high-lying vineyard sites benefit from these cooler conditions which slow down the ripening process.
Proximity to the Ocean & Prevailing Winds
Our vineyards experience frequent ocean breezes, especially during the ripening period in February when land temperatures are high and the False Bay Ocean is kept cool by the cold Benguela current. Ocean breezes with higher relative humidity, gently caress and cool our vines. These cool ocean breezes slow down the ripening process of our grapes, which contributes to optimal phenolic ripeness at lower sugar levels and naturally higher acidities in our wines. The effect of these
cooler ripening conditions is evident during harvest, which occurs on average two weeks later than vineyards in the Stellenbosch valley below.
Aspect
Aspect refers to the orientation of the slope of the vineyard and its influence on climate. In the Southern hemisphere, slopes facing south are cooler than northern slopes, east facing slopes are cooler than westerly slopes. The different slopes on our Estate result in varying temperature conditions, suiting the specific requirements of each varietal grown.
Water
Our average annual rainfall is 900 – 1000mm, which is higher than the Stellenbosch average of 700mm per year. The mountainous location of our estate, and resulting orographic rainfall patterns, allows our vines to benefit not only from increased rainfall but also differing levels of rainfall within our vineyard sites. This diversity within our vineyards and resulting blending components, serve as the foundation for our complex wines.