As one of the oldest Cape wine farms, Spier has its share of controversial history but for the past five decades it has been at the forefront of enotourism, sustainable viticulture and social innovation in South Africa. By seeing to the needs of workers and practising regenerative farming, Spier has generated positivity in the local community and even abroad, where they’ve won many accolades for this work.
“We seek to empower individuals, to build their confidence so they can take ownership of their role. To find what makes their heart really sing,” says Spier’s head of HR and sustainability.
South Africa is one of the oldest wine producing countries in the New World. Like Madeira, which was first populated by the Portuguese, it was colonised by the Dutch to provide vital victuals on a profitable long-haul maritime route. Dutch East India Company ships stopped off in Cape Town on their way to and from the East Indies.
Jan van Reibeeck, the Cape’s first Commander, triumphantly recorded the region’s maiden grape pressing in 1659, seven years after his arrival. Muscadel and other white grapes were cultivated, ‘with the aid of certain free burghers and some slaves’, ‘as the moon waned’. Biodynamism was sexy even then.
Later, in 1679, Commander Simon Van de Stel discovered the fertile valley he christened Stellenbosch. Spier Wine Farm was one of the original tracts of Stellenbosch to be claimed by a colonist or freeburgher. That claimant was Aarnout Jansz. An ex-German soldier and favoured employee of the Dutch East India Company. By 1692 he had successfully cultivated 2000 vines on the riverfront property.
Fast-forward to the present day
Spier was one of the very first wineries in Stellenbosch to diversify into modern day wine tourism. Previous owner Neil Joubert instigated South Africa’s inaugural wine route in 1971, with Spier as the main attraction. Richard Enthoven bought the place in 1993 and began a programme of intensive restoration, he and his daughter Mariota converted the old slave quarters into a restaurant, restored the famous Dutch gables and commissioned a number of art installations to mark the struggles of the past. Having a social conscience is absolutely key to their business model.
Heidi Newton-King explains how supporting local communities helps the business.
“The building of the business within the local community is critical within the South African context. If there are ways in which we can supplement things or add to rather than be a detractor on the side lines, it’s very important we take them. Whether that’s an approach to energy or an approach to some of the social issues we face in the South African context.”
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