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. 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.
Soil Form: Cartref
Cartref soils are youthful as a result of limited rock weathering or on account of rejuvenation through natural erosion on steeper, convex slopes. Cartref soils consist of three horizons, namely Orthic A & E and Lithocutanic B.
Soil Form: Glenrosa
Closely related to Cartref, Glenrosa consists of two basic horizons namely the pale brown, medium textured, loamy sand Orthic A and yellowish brown, heavier textured Lithocutanic B horizon topsoil.
Soil Form: Oakleaf
Closely related to Tukulu, the oakleaf soils are found on higher slopes and feature yellow or red neocutanic subsoil. Oakleaf are young soils derived from granite with good physical and water-retention properties.
Soil Form: Tukulu
Tukulu is a youthful, medium to high potential alluvial soil with a high production potential. Cumulic soils have formed in unconsolidated natural deposits and their distribution is widespread. The subsurface materials may be characterized by signs of wetness beneath a neocutanic or neocarbonate B horizon.
Soil Form: Vilafonte
Vilafonte is one of nine forms of Cumulic soil and is typically characterized by having an Orhic A topsoil with a lightly coloured E horizon and Neocutanic B subsoil horizons.
Soil Form: Hutton
An iron-rich soil that is uniform in colour due to the accumulation of iron oxides as a result of weathering. The red colour signifies warmer, drier, more base-rich conditions that are less affected by organic matter. This soil consists of three horizons: Orthic A, Red Apedal B and after 900mm, an unspecified saprolite material.
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.
