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Uva Mira’s
The Mira Chardonnay 2017
With a wealth of fine wine estates and award-winning local wines to pick from, South African wine lovers are certainly spoiled for choice. However, a higher price tag doesn’t necessarily equal better quality, and it’s not always the most expensive wine that provides the most enjoyment. Uva Mira’s The Mira Chardonnay 2017 is one such example.
In a recent column in the UK Financial Times, internationally acclaimed wine critic Jancis Robinson discussed the correlation (or lack thereof) between the quality of a wine and its price. When producers offer more than one tier of a particular wine, she wrote, the ‘best buy’ at release is more often than not the second-tier wine. Wine producers sometimes try to achieve too much with their top-tier wines and in many cases, these aren’t yet at their full potential when they’re released.
Ask for a ‘good’ bottle of wine at any wine store and the merchant is likely to try and sell you something expensive. But while the label may impress your guests, the wine could well under-deliver if it’s not yet be ready to be enjoyed to the fullest. For a more reasonable price, you could easily find ‘better’ quality wines if you’re prepared to do a bit of homework. We’ve covered many of them in this column over the years.
An excellent example is The Mira Chardonnay 2017 of Uva Mira Mountain Vineyards, which sits high on the slopes of Helderberg Mountain. Although one would think it would be tempting for the winemaker at this Stellenbosch ‘Golden Triangle’ estate to produce an opulent and voluptuous wine, The Mira is instead superbly elegant – a style I’ve personally come to prefer.
The cool climate of the site is evident in this chardonnay, as it introduces itself with freshness and a hint of butterscotch on the nose, complemented by limey or citrus flavours. The first sip confirms the initial promise as the wine fills the mouth with citrus fruit and enough acidity to fill the mid-palate, ending with a creamy aftertaste.
It delivers a clean and pure fruit without being one-dimensional. How does one explain ‘pure fruit’? Taste this marvellous chardonnay and you’ll appreciate its clean offering.
While you can enjoy The Mira Chardonnay 2017 on its own, I’d recommend it as a complement to a variety of fish dishes. South Africans will certainly not overpay for the quality and enjoyment this fine wine offers.
For more information, visit www.uvamira.com.
