Spier

Spier Review

Describing Spier as simply a wine estate is doing it an enormous disservice. The vast complex comprises a manor house, wine cellars, wine and farm shop, rose garden, restaurants, equestrian facilities, a conference center, an open-air amphitheater featuring a variety of performances during summer, and a cheetah park, where you can watch the animals being fed daily between 1 and 2. A "private encounter" or photograph with a cheetah costs around R80 per person for an adult cat and R180 for a cub. It's all designed in Cape-country style, with whitewashed walls and thatch roofs, set along the verdant north bank of the Eerste River. So, yes, it's seriously touristy, but still delightful. The Spier wines go from strength to strength. The latest flagship wine is the Frans K. Smit 2004, named after its winemaker. Also try the cabernet sauvignon 2008 or the consistently good and well-priced 2008 chardonnay that's been highly rated by wine fundis (experts). Be warned that this estate gets very busy during summer and on public holidays.