WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Supplied

Offering an immersive farm experience with breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains, Spier Hotel’s two new spacious luxury villas blend the best of both worlds – top-notch hospitality with the freedom of a private home.

The three-bedroom Garden and Riverside Villas were envisioned as sanctuaries for travellers who prefer the intimacy of a home to the polish of a suite. “These are homes designed for travellers who value complete privacy when exploring the world. A villa allows you to dictate every aspect of your stay,” says Jacques Erasmus, who led the interiors.

Each villa has its own distinct character. The Garden Villa, with its earthy hues, offers the intimacy of a courtyard and a pergola-shaded outdoor lounge with a fireplace. The Riverside Villa, on the other hand, takes its cue from the river it overlooks with a palette of soft greens and natural textures. Upstairs, bedrooms pair deep, freestanding tubs with walk-in showers featuring patterned cabochon flooring, which Jacques notes is “a way of turning even the most utilitarian of spaces into art.”

Jacques’ interiors lean on a philosophy of ‘less is more’, but never sterile minimalism. Instead, they celebrate craftsmanship and the subtle imperfections of the handmade to add a sense of story to each space. From blanket stitching inspired by 300 years of Cape embroidery tradition to bed throws created using indigenous plants in a centuries-old steaming technique by artist Ingrid Bolton, the villas are rich with detail that is both artisanal and deeply local. “For guests, it will feel like you’re sleeping under the fabric of the garden,” says Jacques.

Art anchors these spaces just as it does the wider wine farm. Works curated in collaboration with the Spier Arts Trust, alongside heirloom pieces from the family’s private collection, create an aesthetic that is distinctly South African.

Each villa, designed by Paul Luck of Lightspace architecture studio, blurs the boundaries between indoors and out. On the ground floor, French doors open from lounges, dining rooms, and kitchens onto deep verandas, spilling into rewilded, fynbos-filled gardens, heated pools, fire pits, and mountain views beyond.

Every luxurious detail has been carefully considered – the villas even have their own dedicated service teams, including a private chef, to ensure experiences are tailored to each guest. “These are spaces that honour tradition while serving modern needs,” says Jacques. “Homes that feel both timeless and immediate.”

The villas mark the final chapter in the hotel’s transformation, which re-opened in March 2025 after a year-long restoration. The renewed hotel now includes 80 luxury rooms and suites, two new restaurants, three bars, an expansive heated pool, a nature-inspired kids’ club, and the Cape Herbal Spa. | spier.co.za

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COMPILED BY Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Supplied

Spier’s new exhibition Grounded Practice is more than a showcase of beautiful objects. Featuring 63 ceramic artworks by 42 artists from across South Africa, the exhibition explores themes of stability, sustainability, and self-reflection.

“What came through, almost overwhelmingly, was a sense of instability – personally, politically, environmentally,” says Tamlin Blake, Chief Curator at Spier Arts Trust. “Many artists were using their practice to find their footing again, to reestablish a sense of balance and belonging. That’s where the title Grounded Practice comes from.”

Central to this year’s exhibition, which runs from 26 May to 14 September, is the material itself. “Clay is a potent and enduring material in human civilisation,” Tamlin explains. “It’s often seen as a metaphor for creativity, malleability, and human potential. But once it’s fired and becomes ceramic, it also represents permanence and resilience.”

For many of the artists in Grounded Practice, clay offers not just a physical medium, but a space of emotional release. “Using clay in a creative space is soothing and healing,” Tamlin says. “It’s meditative and many artists find it helps them to ground themselves, to find their centre again.”

Clay also connects us to the earth in a literal and symbolic sense. “It’s a direct link to the land,” she continues. “Many of the artworks in this show ask us to consider our impact on the environment, and remind us of our responsibility as stewards of nature.”

Some pieces delve into deep conceptual territory, while others are whimsical or visually striking. “We’re lucky to have such a big space at The Old Wine Cellar,” Tamlin adds. “It means we can show off a wide section of ceramic art that’s being made in South Africa right now.”

Grounded Practice – like all of Spier Arts Trust’s exhibitions – supports local artists in building sustainable careers. Through exhibitions, commissions, and mentorship, the Trust creates opportunities for artists to grow and reach new audiences. “Ceramics often don’t get the spotlight they deserve,” says Tamlin. “This show is a celebration of just how innovative, thoughtful, and beautiful the art form can be.” | spier.co.za

Grounded Practice will be making its Johannesburg debut with 100% Design Africa at Decorex Joburg 2025 taking place at the Sandton Convention Centre between 24-27 July.

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The official Art Route at the historic Stellenbosch wine farm and art benefactor Spier is open to the public to explore.

Art is as much a part of the Spier brand as its fine wines and delicious food, and about 3 200 artworks have been assembled by the Spier Arts Trust in a celebrated collection. At any given time, about 900 of these are on display at various indoor and outdoor locations around the estate, which have since been curated into a self-guided walking tour, with highlights that range from paintings and sculptures to mosaic and mixed media.

Mosaic Kraal: South Africa’s first permanent outdoor exhibition of mosaics features the work of 16 contemporary local artists, including Selvin November, Lindile Magunya and Pierre Fouché.

Collect your free, easy-to-navigate fold-out map from the hotel reception, the tasting room or one of the restaurants, and wend your way through the estate’s various buildings and outdoor spaces, exploring the wonderful array of contemporary South African art. With Spier a committed supporter of local art and artists, you can also find out how the Spier Artisan Apprenticeship Programme and Creative Block are providing career development opportunities for artists under the auspices of Spier’s Growing for Good initiative.

Songsmith (The Great Karoo) by artist Jenna Burchell. Medium Rock, metallic strips. Twelve ancient, fractured Karoo rocks, repaired in the Japanese kintsukuroi method, have been transformed into interactive sound sculptures.

For more information, visit spier.co.za.

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Mozambican artist Lizette Chirrime, who is known for skilfully combining colour and organic abstract form, has conceptualised a large-scale mosaic entitled Uthomi. It has been installed in a water feature close to Vadas Smokehouse & Bakery at Spier wine farm in the Western Cape.

The artwork, Lizette’s first mosaic, was commissioned by the Spier Arts Trust and produced by the Spier Artisan Studio. “We were keen to work with this talented, thoughtful artist,” says Mirna Wessels, director of the Spier Arts Trust, “not least because her practice — which is often bright, colourful and seemingly playful — is so appropriate for an installation that we hope will engage and intrigue children and adults alike.”

Forming the floor of the fountain, the mosaic has been laid flush with the surrounding surface using a reverse (or indirect) mosaic method. The technique, invented by artist Giandomenico Facchina and used for the installation of the mosaics at the Paris Opera, involves an enlarged mirror image of the original artwork, which is then divided into a number of interlinking sheets.

Rather than the traditional direct method of pasting the mosaic tiles (called tesserae), they’re temporarily pasted face down onto the paper using a special home-made (and water soluble) flour glue. After installation, the paper is removed.

A cement bench has been built in a U-shape around the fountain and visitors are encouraged to engage with the installation and the water. Lizette’s works, some of which are held in collections in South Africa, Spain, Portugal and Italy, often reference water – a link to her upbringing on the coast – and other elements of nature.

Aware of the negative impact humans can have on the environment, Lizette hopes to inspire and evoke positive change through her art. “This strongly echoes Spier’s commitment to sustainability,” says Spier CEO Andrew Milne. “We are keenly aware that water is a precious and increasingly scarce resource and have drastically reduced consumption over the last few years, through a variety of measures. This includes the 100% recycling of grey and black-water through our eco-friendly treatment plant,” he explains.

In addition to viewing Uthomi and the many other sculpture and outdoor installations on the Spier estate, visitors can see artisans at work creating mosaics and beadwork in collaboration with South African fine artists at the satellite Stellenbosch space of the Spier Artisan Studio.

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The newly opened Spier Artisan Studio in Stellenbosch sees artisans using hand-cut mosaics and beads to create interpretations of work by South African artists, many of whom form part of the Creative Block project.

“The opening of this space demonstrates the depth of Spier’s commitment to supporting the visual arts,” says Spier family owner Mariota Enthoven. “We believe the arts are a powerful tool for transformation – sparking new insights and inspiring us to engage with our world in new ways.”

The Stellenbosch studio is an extension of the Spier Artisan Studio in Cape Town. The CBD studio hosts the Spier Artisan Apprenticeship Programme, a rigorous three-year course designed to develop master artisan skills in mosaic and ceramics.

“The space deepens the scope and ultimate effectiveness of what the Apprenticeship Programme offers, giving graduates the invaluable opportunity to gain work experience in a real-life studio and retail environment,” says Mirna Wessels, head of the Spier Arts Trust.

The Spier Artisan Studio in Stellenbosch is open from 10am until 6pm, Tuesday to Sunday. Original Creative Block artworks are on sale in the Studio.

For more information, visit spierartstrust.co.za.

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At this year’s Spier Secret Food Festival, attendees got to enjoy the aptly named Secret, a sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir blend.

Crafted by the 2015 Diner’s Club Winemaker of the Year, Jacques Erasmus, this bubbly wears its party colours proudly, from its pretty salmon-toned hue to the blue of its packaging. And just in case you doubt its party credentials, Spier has done away with the traditional cork and simply finished it off with a retro cap that pops off like a soda bottle. Now this is the kind of secret we’ll gladly share.

Spier Secret Sparkling retails at R69 and is available via store.spierwines.co.za.

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Come Friday 30 October 2015, foodies will gather at the Spier Wine Farm in Stellenbosch for the fourth annual Spier Secret Festival Conference, billed as “a celebration of creative approaches to food and wine making, craftsmanship and collaboration.”

This year promises to be a far more intimate affair. Unlike previous years where all the delegates sat together in a large room, this year they will be separated into smaller groups, rotating between workshops and talks, which means there will be more opportunity for skills sharing and spending one-on-one time with the speakers.

Attendees can look forward to hearing from a variety of speakers. Locals include Luke Williams, who is a cheese-maker and owner of Cape Town’s Culture Club Cheese, Spier’s very own Cellar Master Frans Smit, and Zayaan Khan, SA’s leading expert in entomophagy – the practice of eating insects.

International speakers include Oxford professor Charles Spence, whose research looks at the role of attention in multi-sensory perception, including the sensory perception of food, as well as Andrew Merritt and Paul Smyth, who are behind London-based social design practice, Something & Son. More speakers will be announced closer to the conference.

Delegates will also be among the first to experience Spier’s new and improved Werf, which includes a boutique wine cellar and renowned chef PJ Vadas’s newly launched Hog House Café. Vadas will also be preparing a late lunch for delegates, which is included in the conference ticket price. The Werf will also be home to the weekly Spier Werf Market, which will showcase fresh organic produce and a variety of food stalls. The market is free to enter and is open to the public. It launches the day after the conference on Saturday 31 October.

As has become tradition leading up to the conference, Spier hosts a series of secret dinners throughout September. Visit spiersecret.co.za to find out about upcoming dinners. Tickets for the conference are R1 100, inclusive of lunch and wine.

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Spier Wine Farm is giving us more reasons to stay out and about before the winter months hit.

The Old Kitchen has been transformed into a gallery space for Decor-Z, a collaborative exhibition coordinated by Spier, Yellowwoods Art and internationally acclaimed artist Liza Grobler. The show, which is an off-beat take on home decoration, was curated by Grobler, who also invited five other artists to participate, namely Mark Rautenbach, Marilise Keith, Barbara Wildenboer, Jeanne Hoffman and Daniella Mooney. It runs until the 6^th of April 2015.

Check out Lutge Gallery at the farm too for an incredible selection of contemporary ceramics, photography and furniture made by Cape craftsmen and artists.

Spier has also spruced up the The Werf rose garden and transformed it into a kitchen garden. Planted in November last year, it’s now bursting with herbs, trees and vegetables (all bio-dynamically farmed and organically grown of course). Pop into their Eight restaurant and Spier Hotel to sample the harvest as prepared by chef Charl Coetzee.

For more information, visit spier.co.za.

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Driving into the Spier Wine Estate, a sense of serenity associated with escaping the city buzz washes over you. Three hundred hectares of farmland, incorporating beautiful gardens and a combination of old Cape Dutch and contemporary architecture, makes for a perfect micro-retreat, just a few minutes outside of Stellenbosch and only 45 minutes drive from the Cape Town city centre.

The farm’s restaurant, named ‘Eight’ as an “expression of balance, cycles, harmony, infinity and abundance”, retains a farm feel although it is clearly as well-equipped as some of the best city eateries. It features an open plan kitchen that gives diners a view of how their food is prepared. But that’s not all there is to keep you occupied while the food is being prepared.

There’s a cosy fireplace to keep you warm and the ceiling on the terrace, created by artist Heath Nash out of 10 000 individually crafted flowers made from recycled white plastic milk bottles and lit with low voltage LEDs, is a sight to behold. And of course there’s the world famous wine.

“At Eight, we want to create memorable dishes. They embody simplicity and honesty, using the freshest, best quality ingredients,” says new chef Charl Coetzee, talking about their ‘farm to table’ ethos. “This is farm style food, with an emphasis on natural flavours.”

The restaurant, which will be adding dinner hours on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays as from October, can safely make the claim to using only the “freshest, best quality ingredients” due to the farm’s commitment to biodynamic farming.

Championed by Spier’s Angus Mcintosh, farming according to biodynamic principles means the creation of a diversified, balanced farm ecosystem that generates health and fertility within the farm itself, instead of depending on chemicals. Everything Farmer Angus grows on the Spier farm is organic; the cows are all grass fed from the farm itself.

Here the animals roam freely, raised on pastures, without the use of antibiotics or hormones, playing their natural role in contributing to the fertility of the soil. The principles apply to the vegetables too, as their vitality is closely bound to the health of the soil.

This ethos translates into the restaurant’s menu, which will change once every two months depending on what is available from the vegetable garden. One of the menu’s ‘must try’ highlights is the Farmer Angus tasting plate: sweet bread, pâté en croûte, oxtail, roast beef, biltong, brisket, pickles, mustard and bread – all the meat from grass-fed cattle of course.

Considering that this is after all a wine farm, one naturally has an opportunity to pair dinner with some of the best wines Spier has to offer. This means you probably shouldn’t drive afterwards, in which case we recommend pairing your restaurant booking with an overnight booking at the Spier hotel. The motif of abundance continues through into the generous farm style rooms, with a toasty fireplace to round off a simply perfect evening.

Eight is open Tuesday to Sunday for brunch from 10:00 – 12:00, lunch from 12:00 – 15:00, and tea from 15:00 – 16:30. From October, Eight will be open for dinner on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The restaurant is also available for private functions. Contact the reservations desk on 021 809 1100 to make an enquiry or booking.

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The new Spier Secret Courtyard pop-up in the Cape Town city centre is seasoned with some of our favourite ingredients: design, wine, food and creative collaboration. You can even make friends for life!

An official World Design Capital 2014 project, the Spier Secret Festival that happens annually in October decided it couldn’t wait that long to start the party. They launched a temporary bar slash restaurant slash creative project space in a dreamlike courtyard space they uncovered on Wale Street – where designer Liam Mooney’s shop used to be, alongside Honest Chocolate and Commune.1 Gallery.

“The name Secret is not an elitist thing at all,” explains organiser Hannerie Visser of HV Studio. “It’s really about being generous, giving people a platform and sharing secrets – like chefs have secret recipes and ingredients. It’s a space where people can share that information.”

For the next three months, the space will host Secret Dinner nights on Thursdays, live music evenings on Fridays and outdoor movie showings on Saturday. A full range of Spier wine at cellar prices – including a very sneaky Chenin Blanc slushy – as well as Devil’s Peak ale and Dear Me snacks – such as buchu-and-chilli flavoured peanuts – are served.

The Secret Dinner nights, as in previous years, promise to push the limits of experiential eating with people like Caro de Waal engineering a few Food Jams, Thingking and Soma (both of whom are featured as reasons to love SA design in our WDC2014 edition) teaming up to make an interactive chocolate factory, and even a jazz and curry, among other surprises. The cool kids from Yoh! are also collabing with Honest Chocolate for a movie night.

“The best feedback we always get from the Secret dinners is that people say they come and don’t know anyone, but make friends for life,” Hannerie goes on. “It’s because a certain type of person comes – someone who loves and is passionate about food and wine, as well as being adventurous. So they’re like-minded.”

The space itself is also testament to this spirit of like-minded passion, collaboration and experimentation. Inspired by the original geometric tile pattern of the courtyard and the massive old-school copper bar behind it, interior designer Hendrik Coetzee worked with the Kinsmen Collective and Renée Rossouw  to incorporate geometric and copper elements throughout.

Architect and pattern-extraordinaire Renée’s “half-square” wall installation uses triangular tiles from Spier Architectural Arts stuck on a hand-drawn geometric grid to recall and play on the courtyard pattern.

Primarily graphic designers, Kinsmen did the corporate identity including the logo, menus and copper-and-black tessellated vinyl window decal. Particularly fun are their perforated paper placemat-slash-doilies that guests can fold into all sorts of shapes and creations.

Hendrik himself got resourceful with Spier wineboxes, which he painted copper inside and turned into pendant-style lamps. He also built tables for the courtyard from the boxes, and display units for the shop, which sells wine, cook books and other goodies. To go with the tables, Thingking made tripod stools that strap boxes as a seat onto copper-painted frames.

Guests can even watch pictures from their phone dry on the wall! Bridging the physical and digital social divide, 250 Gram is printing guests’ Instagram pictures tagged with #spiersecret. The poloroid-style prints are then hung on the wall to be claimed when you leave – quite uncanny watching one’s phone come to life! 

Running for only three months in the build up to the Spier Secret Festival in October, Hannerie reassures that there are more exciting (secret for now) events on the cards. The festival itself will run over three days this year by incorporating the WDC2014 Food Indaba on the first day, which will have speakers focused on sustainability and food economy, followed by the more food design orientated speakers on the second day and the market on the third.

Visit spiersecret.co.za for more information and the programme and follow @SpierSecret on Twitter for updates and spontaneous last-minute additions.

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