History of Miravel Wines

Maarten van Beuningen may have been farming fruit, cattle, pigs and ostriches for much of his life, but he's always had a passion for wine, and the medium for expression it offers. Traveling as a family over the last 30 year has taken the van Beuningen clan through Mauritius, South Africa, Swaziland, Kenya, Zimbabwe and now back to South Africa; the family's journey forms the core of Maarten's wine-making ethos.

"We've met an incredible number of people along the way, striking up close friendships, and forging paths we might not have expected, but will never forget," Maarten explains. Hence the 'Footprints' legend detailed on the Miravel labels. "The wine represents our journey, and the people who've been a part of it. We could have ended up in many different places, doing many different things, but we're here in the Cape, making wine, and getting to that point represents our journey to date."

"It also give us the chance to share our wine with friends and family," Maarten adds, and a glass or two of Miraval now comes standard with any visit to the family home, surrounded by the vines that provided the grapes for Maarten's debut sauvignon blanc. Seeing the wines every day serves as a visual reminder of what it is about wine that has him so enchanted.

"It's not just a liquid, it's so much more than that," Maarten says. "So many variables combine to give it expression, to give it a particular taste and feel. There's something magical to being part of that process - making the wine is almost more fun than drinking it!"