Spier is dedicated to making wines of the highest quality, across all its ranges.
The Spier Cellar was built in 1995 with an initial capacity to produce 50,000 cases of wine per year. A major upgrade in 2000 saw an increase in production to 900,000 cases of wine; and the figure will grow again. A further cellar upgrade is planned in the short term, including 1,500 additional oak barrels.
Some 4,300 tons of grapes are crushed annually, 1,100 tons of which are white and 3,200 tons red. Although production levels are high, the grapes are handled in a manner that enables the production of ultra-premium, boutique-style wines.
Cultivars handled in the cellar include:
White:
- Chardonnay
- Chenin Blanc
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Viognier
Red:
- Cabernet Franc
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Malbec
- Merlot
- Mourvèdre
- Petit Verdot
- Pinot Noir
- Pinotage
- Shiraz
Most grapes are hand-sorted, and despite the excellent quality of fruit, the rejection rate is high; with around 10% of each batch failing to meet the exacting standards of the winemaking team.
The oak barrel cellar has a capacity of 4,000 barrels and is housed in four separate, temperature-controlled rooms. Each barrel is strictly monitored so that the entire history of the wine inside is known. This alone is a full-time job for members of the cellar team.
The winemaking team includes:
- Cellar Master Frans Smit
- Senior Winemaker - Procurement and Head of Secondary Department Johan de Villiers
- Senior Red Winemaker Johan Jordaan
- Senior Secondary Winemaker Anton Swarts
- White Winemaker Jacques Erasmus
- Junior Winemaker, Red Wine, Secondary Winemaking Lizanne Tomé
- Assistant Winemaker Barrel Cellar Tania Kleintjes
- Assistant Winemaker, Red Wine Marina Vermeulen
The team's commitment to quality is borne out with an ever-growing list of international accolades and awards. In the words of Frans Smit, "we won't be satisfied until our wines can be found at every corner of the globe!"
A quality operation
Spier's quality certification includes ISO 22000; a standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization dealing with food safety. This standard specifies the requirements for a food safety management system that involves interactive communication, systems management, prerequisite programs and HACCP principles.
Spier Wines' entire supply chain, from independent grape growers to the cellar and export systems, has been shown to be compliant in an audit conducted by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS).
The ISO 22000 Food Safety Management System is a rigorous method of process control that's achieved by only a handful of South African wineries. That Spier Wines' compliance extended beyond its company bounds is an indication of quality to rival the world's best
