Our Winemakers’ Dinners at Spier Wine Farm have become a much-anticipated staple on the calendar – thanks to the simple belief that having a good time is directly proportional to the quality of the wine, food and company. We call it our honest-to-goodness ratio.
This year, for the first time, we are bringing this experience to Veld at Spier Hotel, our farm’s newest restaurant, welcoming guests on the last Friday of the month from May through October for six individually themed dinners. Escape the cold and gather in an intimate restaurant setting to meet the people behind our wines – the ones who walk the vineyards, work the cellar and know each bottle inside out.
2026 Winemaker Dinners Series details
Our 2026 Winemaker Dinners Series dates and themes are as follows:
29 May: Master Chenin
Enjoy the mastery of old vine Chenin Blanc with our cellarmaster, Johan Jordaan, twice named Chenin Blanc Champion at the international Master Winemaker 100 Awards 2025 and 2026.
26 June: Older Vintages, Older Vines
An exercise in patience. This dinner reaches back into the cellar for wines that have had time to settle into themselves and are paired with slow-cooked comfort dishes.
24 July: No Rules
The winemaking equivalent of throwing out the recipe book. Expect unconventional pairings and a menu designed to make you reconsider what you thought you knew about food and wine.
28 August: Shiraz and Associates
Shiraz takes centre stage, but it’s the supporting cast that makes this dinner memorable. From Farmer Angus’s Blanc de Noir to Shiraz Port, this is a masterclass in South African reds with a menu to match.
25 September: Creative Block
An evening of creative cooking that breaks the mould. Our most awarded wines – each numbered by its varietal count and inspired by artists who combine small blocks to create something greater – meet dishes designed to challenge convention and delight the senses.
30 October: Chef Partnership
A celebration of pasture-to-plate philosophy. Chefs Hennie, PJ and Craig each contribute their signature dishes, closing the season with beef, oxtail and bone marrow.
A series of stories
This year’s series moves across different disciplines: from appreciating the value of ageing wines to exploring the deep-seated knowledge it takes to break the winemaking rules. We’re pulling magnums from the back of the cellar in winter, pairing unexpected wines with unlikely dishes and collaborating with chefs for evenings that rethink what belongs on the same plate.
Our winemakers will be there throughout – moving between seats, answering questions and pouring second glasses (yes, without being asked). You’ll taste wines side by side, compare vintages and discover how the same grape can tell completely different stories.
Straight from the soil
Veld is an elevated dining experience that expresses Spier’s philosophy in its fullest (and most delicious) form. By the time you settle into your seat, you might have walked through the food garden, crossed the bridge into the Wilds, or spent an afternoon in the spa. Dinner becomes the moment when all of that – the land, the produce, the philosophy – is brought together on a plate served directly in front of you.
Chef Craig Paterson and the Veld team build each four-course menu around what’s ready on the farm. The menus shift with the seasons: richer, heartier dishes when it’s cold, lighter flavours as spring arrives. Most ingredients come from our food garden and Farmer Angus, or from farms and producers whose regenerative approach mirrors ours.
The food is affably generous, designed to let the wine shine without getting in its way. And there’s no better place on the farm to experience what our winemakers have built over decades.
Each dinner is R950 per person and includes welcome bubbles, four courses with wine pairings, and coffee.
