On Friday the 6th of May we are visiting South Africa again, for the fifth episode of our Talk Show Cellar Talks. This time Christiaan Coetzee from Uva Mira Mountain Vineyards in Stellenbosch is our guest. Uva Mira is one of the hottest prospects around in South Africa and receiving excellent reviews, growing year after year. This special project, on a unique location, is a beautiful as it is promising.
About the Winery
Uva Mira means “The Beautiful Grape”. Uva Mira Mountain Vineyards is located in South Africa’s wine region Stellenbosch, on the slopes of the Helderberg mountain range adjacent to the Helderberg Nature Reserve. The winery uses nature to hand craft wines of the highest quality in the world. Their vision is to combine traditional vinification methods with the latest innovations in technology to define modern wines of an international standard.
The 30-hectare domain features a highly focused wine collection: Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Shiraz, as well as a red Bordeaux style blend. Not surprisingly, however, Uva Mira focuses on Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, cultivars that have naturally risen to the top of Stellenbosch’s offerings in terms of quality and recognition over the past decade.
One of these recognitions is the election of the 2017 Chardonnay on the Decanter list of “Wines of the Year 2020”
About Christiaan Coetzee
Owner Toby Venter bought Uva Mira in 2014. Not long after, Christiaan Coetzee joined the estate as a winemaker. A graduate of the Elsenburg Agricultural College, he began his career as a winemaker in the world of bubbly, turning crops at Graham Beck and in Champagne, France. After his return to South Africa, he made wines at KWV, including for the award-winning series ‘The Mentors’. He started his career at Uva Mira just before the 2014 harvest. “You are in nature, and nature is wine,” says Christiaan. “The vision of people like Toby Venter has given young winemakers like me the opportunity to be involved in extraordinary, focused and committed projects in this ever-changing landscape of South African wine.”
About the Tasting
During the show we will be drinking one of Uva Mira’s best-selling wines, the Mira Chardonnay. This estate wine expresses the unique location of the vineyards and is a fruity, pure and elegant composition with a creamy texture. South Africa wine expert Tim Atkin rewarded this 2020 vintage with a 93/100 score.
This Chardonnay is imported and sold in the Netherlands by “Pasteuning Wines & Spirits” Click here for more information (in Dutch) and the possibility to order the wine and drink along with us.
We are looking forward to talking to Christiaan and learning from his background, experiences and the winery. Be sure to tune in on Instagram Live through our Dutch Wine Apprentice account on Friday the 6th of May, 19:30h CET.
Click here for instructions on how to follow a live show on Instagram Live. If you have questions for our guest you are welcome to prepare them and e-mail them to us or send them as a direct message on our Instagram account.
You can find a link to the recording of the show here.
