Spier Wine Estate's new tasting room

Sometimes you have those weekends when, before you know it, two days have flown by and you've spent them in your slippers on your couch, with not much to say for yourself. Sometimes they're necessary, especially when you're working in an industry that requires late night deadlines and intense concentration... editing can be a bitch.
But then again I love those weekends filled with activities, that make you feel like you have actually achieved something.

This past Saturday was one of those. I woke up early to do a trail run at Simonsvlei wine estate. It was just 5km, but it nearly killed me and I was amazed to have made it to the finish line without twisting an ankle. I'll stick to the roads from now on.
Thank goodness I packed an extra shirt, because afterwards we headed to the Stellenbosch Slow Market, where I bought some Honest Chocolate raw chocolate spread (dairy-free) and some sandals.

After we'd eaten brunch, we decided to take a slow trip back towards town, popping in at a couple wine farms.

I'd read about Spier's new wine tasting room, and as it had been a while since we last visited, we thought it appropriate timing to check it out.
Spier Wine Estate is a fairly big operation. There are a couple of restaurants on the property – although, for those who don't know, Moyo is soon to be gone – accommodation facilities, function venues, large lawns for picnicking, a deli, craft market and a massive tasting room.

There are three 'tasting' options available, some that include food pairings. We just went for the standard five-wine tasting. The signature shiraz, Creative Block 3 (red blend) and 21 gables chenin blanc were our favourites. The MCC was really fresh and crisp. Our 'wine educator', Kyle, was very informative and slipped us a couple extra tastings. We chatted in length about the wine industry and our favourite varietals.
Spier is apparently changing their whole ethos and becoming 'greener' by adopting environmentally-friendly principals and sustainable programmes on the estate. Good to know.

Other tastings include the:

• Heritage Tasting: a food and wine pairing of Spier’s 21 Gables Chenin Blanc and 21 Gables Pinotage paired with traditional South African fare (R80.00 per person).
• Frans K Smit Tasting of the two premium wine ranges plus Spier’s flagship wine, Frans K Smit (R90.00 per person).

Do pop in... it's really worth a visit and they're open every day from 10am to 4pm. Plus the Creative Block art and recycled sculptures and chandelier are quite eye-catching. www.spier.co.za