Spier Wine Farm
As soon as you arrive at this wonderful wine farm, you will instantly feel relaxed. Spier is so much more than just a winery. It is, like I mentioned in my post, like a small village. It has its own restaurants, picnic spots, shops and all different kinds of activities. (Can highly recommend to book a duo massage, to which they add a complimentary bottle of wine, while relaxin in front of the fireplace)
The Staff, the view, the serenity. It is all as it should be. While they were preparing our room, we decided to have a ‘canned rosé‘ wine. It surprised me, because I thought the can would add a specific taste to the wine, but that was not the case.
We decided to start with what we came for: the wine. Susan, the lady who served us the wine, decided in which order we should try their wines. The first wine was their MCC Spier 2021. Made from Chardonnay and Pinot noir. Even though I am not a real lover of bubbles, I could instantly tell how much more I like this than let’s say a glass of Moët & Chandon (something that is really not my taste).
After the MCC, we got two white wines and one rosé wine. The whites consisted out of Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc, the rosé was made of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
The first of the three was the Seaward Sauvignon Blanc 2023. Seaward is a Range in the Spier collection where the grapes are selected from South Africa’s top coastal areas, growing in a narrow band close to the cold Atlantic ocean and the temperate waters of False Bay. The Sauvignon Blanc has rich aromas of green figs, grass and ripe tropical fruit, following through to a lively palate of prominent fruit.
Up next came the rosé. This salmon-coloured summertime sipper is elegant, unpretentious and beautifully balanced, marrying strawberry and apple flavours with a crisp finish. Just pair it with your sunglasses and a pool, and you’ll be more than happy.
Then after the Chenin Blanc. It has lively enough acidity to appeal to even the most hardened of Sauvignon Blanc lovers. With fresh flavours of guava, pear and apple, serve this delightfully versatile crowd-pleaser with sushi, pasta or good old fish and chips
To finish off, we had two wines out of the three-wine range of ’21 Gables’.
We started with the ‘21 Gables, Chenin Blanc’ vintage 2021. This delicious wine comes from dry-land vines. The oldest parcel is 37 years of age. At one point, the vines were going to be uprooted. Luckily, Spier recognized their potential and resurrected the vineyard. The maturity draws a beautiful and focused expression of terroir into the wine. It continues to reward Spier vintage after vintage.
So what do we get?
Pale lemon gold at a glance, this is a gloriously fresh and pure style of Chenin Blanc. Upfront ripe, juicy peach and pear fruit aromas are balanced with notes of dried apricot and a lick of oak spice. Combine that with a lingering fruit core finish that provides complexity and texture, and you get a beautiful Chenin Blanc.
Second was the ‘21 Gables, Pinotage‘ vintage 2018.
Deep ruby red on the eyes, this is a Pinotage to sink into slowly. The nose exudes violet aromas and sweet, ripe blackberries and cherries which overlay a hint of graphite. Classic and full-bodied in style, the palate follows with ripe, Black Forest cake-like flavours while the tannins are dense and velvety for an opulent finish.
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