Growing up on a farm in the small town of Philadelphia where sheep, wheat fields and the vineyards were my playground, it can easily be said that this is where it all started. At 11 years old, after watching the film, ‘A Good Year’ that plays off in the South of France at Château La Canorgue, I was obsessed with the idea of making wine in France one day. It has been locked into my dreams ever since.
Fast forward a few years and I find myself in the middle of Saint-Emillion working my first international harvest at Château Angélus, after completing my BSc.Agric Viticulture and Oenology degree at Stellenbosch University. After a few harvests around the globe, including New Zealand and South Africa, I found myself back in France to complete my Master in Wine & Spirits Management at Kedge Business School in Bordeaux. A dream city, and a little piece of my heart. I think it’s important to understand the complete chain from growing the grapes to serving wine in a restaurant. I have worked as an Assistant Sommelier for Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen in his Restaurant JAN in Nice and also as Brand Development and Innovation Assistant at Creation Wines in the Hemel-enAarde Valley. At the end of the day my heart pulls back to the vineyards and the winemaking.
Eventually, Mīrum Wines were born out of an uncertain interruptive year of Covid-19. Mīrum is Latin and can be defined as extraordinary, surprising, remarkable and wonderful. Mīrum, to me, has a threefold meaning recognizing the following; Place, People and Moments.
Place | Showcasing the terroir where the grapes are grown.
People | Bringing people together and building new connections.
Moments | This is what we live for and when it all comes together.
It is a reflection of the deeper emotion behind a bottle of Mīrum wine. It showcases the ability to bring remarkable people together in extraordinary places and experience wonderful moments. Something I live for.
