Mira Winery Unveils New Charleston Landmark, Destination
July 2, 2014
CHARLESTON, SC – A distinctively Charleston landmark was unveiled today, an 18 by 29 foot mural marking the location of a future destination for wine lovers – Mira Winery’s Napa Valley Education Center and Tasting Room. The Education Center, the first of its kind, will bring the world-renowned Napa Valley, California experience to Charleston. When it opens this fall, the Center will take visitors through the winemaking process, from bud to bottle, and provide a better understanding of the geo-environment of one of the premier grape growing regions in the world – the Napa Valley.
“The mural, which some have referred to as Charleston’s version of Mt. Rushmore, celebrates the relationship between food and wine and recognizes some of the people who helped establish Charleston’s culinary scene, but it is dedicated to all those who make Charleston a culinary destination,” said Mira President and Co-founder Jim “Bear” Dyke, Jr. “Charleston and Napa Valley are a perfect pairing.”
The mural (photos for use by media can be found here) on the west side wall of the Education Center was just completed by famed artist David Boatwright and has been named “Renoir Redux: Exceptional Pairings.” It is a Charlestonized version of Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s “Luncheon of the Boating Party” which pairs the historic painting with the likenesses of 14 members of the Charleston food scene:
- Mickey Bakst, General Manager, Charleston Grill
- Sara Clow, General Manager, GrowFood Carolina
- Nathalie Dupree, Chef, Author, TV Host
- Craig Deihl, Executive Chef, Cypress
- Charlotte Jenkins, Chef & Owner, Gullah Cuisine
- Victor Lafayette, Oysterman and Shrimper at Bowens Island
- Karalee Nielsen Fallert, Chef & Owner
- Matthew Niessner, Executive Chef, Halls Chophouse
- Mike Lata, Owner of FIG Restaurant and The Ordinary
- Frank Lee, Vice President of Culinary Operations for Maverick
- Matt Lee, Author & Journalist, The Lee Bros.
- Frank McMahon, Executive Chef, Hanks & Brasserie GiGi
- Robert Stehling, Chef & Owner, Hominy Grill
- Michelle Weaver, Executive Chef, Charleston Grill
Those depicted were chosen as part of a collaboration between Boatwright and Dyke and serve as a symbol for all those who have helped establish Charleston’s food scene.
“When we founded Mira, we committed to making exceptional wine and to innovation that would challenge the industry and enhance our ability to connect with consumers. The Education Center in Charleston is a very important element in fulfilling that commitment,” said Mira Winemaker and Co-founder Gustavo Gonzalez.
A South Carolina native, Boatwright’s iconic murals add beauty to more than 20 restaurants and other spaces throughout the Lowcountry. “Exceptional Pairings” is Boatwright’s first time re-interpreting a classic painting. “The challenge of this piece is keeping the balance between the feel of the original and creating a fresh work that speaks to our time and our place. Every face and detail is different yet it still should recall the good life represented by that epoch,” Boatwright said.
About Mira Winery
Mira Winery produces a limited amount of single vineyard wines from well known Napa Valley AVA Districts Stags Leap, Los Carneros and Rutherford. With over 20 years of wine making experience, Winemaker Gustavo Gonzalez is a craftsman whose critically acclaimed wines are of exceptional character and complexity, delighting the palates of wine drinkers today and for years to come. Our well established and long term relationships with some of the most elite and oldest growers in Napa Valley allows us to manage the process from bud to bottle, vinifying the grapes to maintain the characteristics of these exceptional geographies and produce a portfolio of uniquely luxurious wines.
Mira was formed in 2009 as a partnership between Gustavo Gonzalez, whose 20-year winemaking career started in a winery lab and led him to be head red Winemaker for Robert Mondavi Winery, and Jim “Bear” Dyke, Jr. whose 20-year political career started with parking cars in the Senate Parking lot and led him to the White House. Gustavo has made wine in five countries and was responsible for the 2001 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Masseto which Wine Spectator gave a 100 point rating and described as “possibly the best Tuscan red ever.” Dyke served as Communications Director for the Republican Party in Washington, D.C., and served in the administration of George W. Bush. Learn more at http://www.miranapa.com.
