2013’s harvest is almost complete, and we sat down with Cellar Master Frans Smit to find out how the wine harvest is progressing. This vintage had a very cool build-up to harvest and an unusually cool February, resulting in great fruit concentration, specifically on the white wines.
Frans thinks 2013 will be remembered for some great white wines. 2013 wines will also be characterised by good natural acidity, meaning they will age well.
Spier, in association with VISI, is pleased to present the highly anticipated solo exhibition, The Blind Astronomer by artist Berco Wilsenach.
WHAT IS IT?
‘The Blind Astronomer’ includes various sculpture works but the main installation consists of a series of star maps, displayed one after another on large glass panels, supported and lit, where a viewer can walk in-between.
In a collaborated effort, the Wildlands Conservation Trust Tree-preneur Project nominated St. John when San Diego based organization Do-Something-Now wanted to support a South African establishment that supported patients with cancer and HIV Aids. Do-Something-Now board members Michael and Carol Horvitz handed over 25 bicycles to St. John home-based caregivers during a recent visit to Cape Town.
San Diego based board members Michael and Carol Horvitz.
Last month we hosted a weekend event known as the Secret Festival, exploring the latest food and wine trends. Secrets of all kind were revealed, ranging from secret family recipe ingredients to secret gardening and composting methods.
It was during a workshop that our vegetable garden expert, Neil, shared some of his personal biodynamic composting secrets. Spier is currently in the process of converting its vineyards to organic and has a vegetable garden that is run not only according to organic principles and practices, but also according to biodynamic ones.
Those that participated in his workshop were so inspired, we asked him to share his thoughts.
The famous novel, The Great Gatsby, has recently come out of copyright. The film is due to be released early next year and sparked a renewed interest in the the glitz and glamour of the 20s. From 20 November to 31 December 2012, Spier will be hosting an interactive stage adaptation of the novel, following a sold-out run in London.
Meet Jordan Baker and Nick Carraway…
The famous novel, The Great Gatsby, has recently come out of copyright. The film is due to be released early next year and sparked a renewed interest in the the glitz and glamour of the 20s. From 20 November to 31 December 2012, Spier will be hosting an interactive stage adaptation of the novel, following a sold-out run in London.
It’s 1922, a few years before the catastrophic collapse of the American stock markets. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel graphically portrays a society being destroyed by money and dishonesty – an American Dream of happiness and individualism degenerating into the mere pursuit of wealth.
The period is the pinnacle of decadence. Prohibition made millionaires out of bootleggers; the streets were awash with guns and gangsters. To escape it all, people consumed vast amounts of illegal alcohol and danced the night away…
Gatsby’s entire fortune, and his entire life, really, are built upon the hope that someday he might rekindle his old love with Daisy. Daisy isn’t like any of the other women in the novel, and, in the eyes of both Gatsby and Nick, she’s not quite like any other girl in the world.
We have a flock of 117 ducks picking off snails and insects in the vineyards on our Nooitgedacht farm.
They live in this specially designed mobile housing unit that can be moved into vineyard rows, and in which they are locked in at night.
The Cape Winemakers Guild (CWG) – founded in 1982 and celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2012 – is an association of South Africa’s top winemakers, committed to maintaining and constantly improving the quality of their wines, thereby serving as role models for the Cape wine industry as a whole to uphold and build on the reputation of South African wine globally.
“Cellarmasters in the Kitchen” is beautifully written by Wendy Toerien to be both light-hearted and entertaining as well as evocative and informative. Each of the 45 Guild members is featured in a profile piece that includes anecdotes, insights and experiences of a life with food and wine. Also included are two of each winemaker’s favourite recipes, matched with one (or more) of his (or her) top wines.
“Cellarmasters in the Kitchen” (Random House Struik) is available at all leading bookstores from October 2012.
Read on for an exclusive excerpt about Spier Cellar master and Cape Winemakers Guild member Frans Smit.
Pinotage is one of our favourite grape varietals as it was developed right here in South Africa. We are overjoyed that our 21 Gables Pinotage 2010 has been named one of the top ten Pinotage wines in the country by the 2012 ABSA Top 10 competition!
After the Spier Winemaking Team’s great success at the Young Wine Show last week, we asked Cellar Master Frans Smit to share his recipe for success.
What does it mean to you, as winemaker, to receive the Pietman Hugo Trophy?
This trophy is a good indication of our young wines’ quality. The fact that it is awarded for the highest marks for the best five wines entered, is encouraging as it shows that the median of quality in our cellar is very high. It is a pat on the back for our team and confirms that all the hard work from vineyards to cellar reaps rewards.
LTR: Johann Smit (viticulturist), Johan Jordaan (red winemaker), Frans Smit (Cellar Master) and Jacques Erasmus (white winemaker).
Sign up for our newsletter here
