We visited with South African exports, Danie and Johan from Spier Winery last week. As part of their whirlwind adventure through North America and Europe, they made a quick stop in Calgary. WineCollective was able to steal some time with the duo, and re-visit our favourite S. African wines from Spier.
We have previously worked with a number of wines from Spier, the Signature Series Chenin Blanc, Pinotage and Shiraz. You might be surprised to know that Spier exports about 80% of their wine production to foreign markets. Some of the wines are not sold in South Africa at all. Danie made a point to try the Vintage Selection Cabernet, noting that they do not have access to it domestically.
Hosted at Alloy, we enjoyed lunch from the newly launched menu while we sampled through a selection of Spier wines. The Signature series Chenin Blanc and Pinotage have been in Alberta for a while now and they represent 2 of 7 single varietal wines produced. The Creative Block series is a range of blends, creating wines “far greater than the sum of their parts.” The Creative Block 3, a blend of Shiraz, Mourvedre and Viognier is featured on Alloy’s current wine list. The higher end 21 Gables references the winery’s history and architecture in the region.
We look forward to bringing you more wines from Spier in the near future, stay tuned!