Spier Wine Farm has introduced its new flagship organic wine range, Farmer Angus.
The collection is the fruit of a shared journey between the farm’s award-winning winemaking team and Angus McIntosh, a passionate champion of regenerative agriculture who not only calls Spier his home, but is also renowned for his commitment to ethically farmed of meat, chicken and pork.
Made exclusively from grapes grown in Spier’s certified organic vineyards, Farmer Angus wines represent an exciting extension of Spier and Angus’s commitment to regenerative practices.
A meeting of minds
At the heart of Farmer Angus wines lies a profound respect for the soil and its role in nurturing healthy vines and exceptional grapes. This philosophy is shared by cellar master Johan Jordaan and his winemaking team, who have a stellar track record of producing some of the country’s best wines.
While organic wine is still a fledgling category in South African wine production Spier’s organic offerings have already received an impressive 42 industry accolades to date. Most notably, the First Stone Organic Red blend was awarded a Gold medal from the prestigious 2023 Concours Mondial de Bruxelles and a notable 4,5 stars in the 2023 Platter’s Wine Guide, cementing Spier’s position as a leader in the organic wine sector.
“Regenerative agriculture is my life’s work,” said McIntosh. “I believe all health stems from the soil. These organic wines are the delicious culmination of a long-term partnership with the Spier team to farm in true harmony with nature.”
Everything is connected
What sets these wines apart is not only their quality but their truly holistic approach to farming. The grapes are organically farmed and supported by biodynamic practices throughout the process.
The grapes are grown without synthetic herbicides, fungicides, pesticides or fertilisers. Instead, the team promotes soil vitality through composting and natural pest remedies. Farmer Angus extends this philosophy across the entire farm, implementing high-impact grazing with animals to maintain a balanced ecosystem.
“We view the farm as one living ecological system,” explained Jordaan. “The vines are just one part of this complex web of relationships between plants, animals and microbes in the soil. Our role is to work with nature’s rhythms, bit by bit, grape by grape and hand by hand.”
In the cellar, the grapes are naturally fermented with a light hand. “The cellar is a nursery for completing what began in the vineyards,” noted organic winemaker Tania Kleintjies.
The Farmer Angus range comprises three distinctive and limited-release wines:
- Farmer Angus Chenin Blanc: Made from a heritage certified vineyard planted in 1984. A crisp, mineral-driven Chenin Blanc with a captivating nose of butterscotch and apricots, followed by a palate of citrus and caramel. This wine pairs perfectly with Farmer Angus’s prosciutto.
- Farmer Angus Rosé: A vibrant, refreshing Rosé showcasing strawberry and vanilla on the nose, with strawberry and coriander on the palate. Enjoy this wine alongside Farmer Angus’s Black Forest ham.
- Farmer Angus Red Blend: A classic Stellenbosch Red Blend boasting a nose of blackberry and chocolate, complemented by a palate of vanilla and blackcurrant. This wine is an ideal match for Farmer Angus’s grass-fed beef steak.
Nature’s footprint
Befitting their handcrafted nature, McIntosh used the vine leaves he collected from the very vines that make these wines in the label design. “My mother taught me this leaf-rubbing art form as a boy,” he shared. “It connects the wines right back to their origins among the vines.”
His journey into the world of regenerative winemaking began after reading Nicolas Joly’s seminal book on biodynamic viticulture, Wine from Earth to Sky. In 2006, he resurrected an abandoned Chenin Blanc vineyard at Spier, mentored by Avice Hindmarch in biodynamic and permaculture techniques.
Initially, McIntosh made what he describes as “questionable” wines. By 2014, he realised that this part was something best left to the experts, with Jordaan and Kleintjies making the wines since then.
In 2009, he and colleague Orlando Filander spearheaded the holistic conversion of all Spier vineyards to organic and biodynamic practices, culminating in the farm’s first certified organic harvest in 2015. Spier was also the first in SA to adopt the Simonit & Sirch pruning method for prolonging healthy vine lifespan.
Farmer Angus wines and tastings are available directly from the Spier’s Tasting Room and restaurants as well as its online store.
The range reaffirms Spier’s longstanding commitment to crafting good wine, from good people grown in good soil.
