Spier continues to rake in the wine awards, with the most recent achievement being its 21 Gables Pinotage 2018 named one of South Africa’s top 10 at the 2023 Absa Top 10 Pinotage competition.
The annual event, hosted by the Pinotage Association, seeks to spotlight the crème de la crème of pinotage wines, underscoring the immense potential and versatility of SA’s signature grape variety.
The 21 Gables range pays homage to Spier’s winemaking heritage of more than 330 years and visitors can still view the namesake gables on the farm grounds. As a top 10 winner, the 21 Gables Pinotage also owes much of its success to heritage. A combination of pinot noir and cinsault, the pinotage grape was first grafted by Professor Perold in 1925.
This uniquely South African varietal is a firm favourite at Spier. Grown in ancient Stellenbosch mountain soils overlooking the south side of False Bay, the 15-year-old vines used in making the wine benefit from cooling summer breezes.
The true magic happens during harvest, when cellar master Johan Jordaan and the winemaking team push the variety to new heights. The wine’s complexity is a result of a thoughtful harvest strategy, which involved staggered picking based on taste and optimum tannin balance, resulting in ten separate fermentation batches.
Each batch enjoyed a maturation period of 20 months in a selection of first and second-fill French, American and Hungarian oak barrels. After this period an extensive barrel selection process took place, led by Jordaan and his team, culminating in a wine that epitomises the philosophy that the whole is indeed better than the sum of its parts.
“Step by step, from micro-picking to micro-vinification, the 21 Gables Pinotage has evolved into a beacon of what meticulous craftsmanship can achieve,” Jordaan explained. “Of course, the secret to our wines lie in the quality of our vineyards, which is why we are deeply committed to restoring the health of our soils.”
As stewards of a vast 620 ha, Spier is leading the charge in regenerative agriculture, embracing a future-focused approach that prioritises community and environmental well-being. With an expansive operation that includes three farms covering 161 ha of vineyards, a considerable portion of which is organically farmed, Spier is on the path to increase their organic production to 8 to 10% of the total output.
This endeavour, supported by collaborations with 24 specialist grape growers overseeing about 500 ha, reflects their goal to create a rich, balanced ecosystem from the ground up.
There are few wines more tightly interwoven into the threads of SA’s winemaking history than the flavourful and mighty pinotage. Celebrated for its juicy red fruit aromatics, this somewhat misunderstood cultivar comes together thanks to a rich earthiness on the palate. As this indigenous variety starts to finally enjoy the limelight it deserves, Spier is proud to be standing on the podium representing it.
