Latest news with #Spier
The Citizen
5 days ago
- General
- The Citizen
Miso butter-roasted chicken and grilled vegetables
The Spier Seaward Chenin Blanc citrus and stone fruit notes, richly complex palate and fresh finish make it an excellent accompaniment to our miso butter-roasted chicken and grilled vegetables. Thanks to the incorporation of miso, this simple-to-make dish is packed with savoury umami flavours. Recipe compliments of Spier Wine Farm. Ingredients 15ml olive oil, plus extra Salt and pepper 80 g butter ⅓ cup miso paste 10ml sesame oil 30ml soy sauce 10ml sugar 15-30ml lemon juice 1 whole chicken (about 1.5kg) A few lemon wedges, optional Method Line the inside of a deep oven-proof pot or roasting dish with non-stick baking paper. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place the chicken breast side up in the pot, then rub lightly with oil and season (lightly) with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and roast for 45 minutes. In the meantime, place the butter, miso paste, sesame oil, sugar, and lemon juice in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring with a whisk until smooth (if it looks like splitting, use a blender to make it smooth). After the 45-minute roasting time, remove the chicken from the oven, reduce the heat to 180 °C, and use a pastry brush to brush the chicken with the miso mixture. Return to the oven without a lid and continue to roast for another 30 minutes or until dark and glossy. Remove from the oven, cover with a lid, and leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving. For the grilled vegetables, heat an iron skillet over high heat, then add about a tablespoon of oil and fry the vegetables until charred but still firm. Season with salt and pepper, then add a tablespoon of the miso mixture and continue to cook, stirring. Remove from the heat and cover with a lid to steam any larger vegetables further until just tender but not soft. Serve with the chicken. Spier's Seaward range is inspired by the Cape's unique coastal terroir. The Chenin blanc is made with grapes that are handpicked in the Tygerberg Hills, about 15km from the icy Atlantic. The Atlantic's cooling breezes allow the vines to thrive in optimal conditions for gradual ripening. Coupled with dryland irrigation – which intensifies flavours – the result is a Chenin Blanc with great concentration, balance and finesse, all underpinned by an elegant, saline minerality.
eNCA
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- eNCA
Jordaan is 2025 Chenin Blanc winemaker of the year
STELLENBOSCH - Spier's cellar master, Johan Jordaan has been recognised as the world's best maker of chenin blanc. That's at the the Master Winemaker 100 Awards in Paris. Jordaan's dedication to quality is further reflected in other accolades for Spier wines, including the Frans K. Smit White 2018, which won the Best White Blend Trophy at the inaugural 2024 Fine Wine Awards.
Time Out
08-06-2025
- Time Out
Local Intel: Carl Wastie
Pipe Track and Newlands Ravine I love a good hike, and Table Mountain offers several paths of tranquillity and unmatched views of the city. The Pipe Track is a great starting point for any hiker, and it can be lengthened or shortened depending on your available time or how much you want to challenge yourself. Newlands Ravine is much the same – just as beautiful – but it's perfect for taking the dogs on what I like to call 'walkies on steroids.' I'm a dog dad to four Boston Terriers, so this is essential. City Sightseeing A trip on the Cape Town City Sightseeing bus is one of the best ways to feel proud of the city I live in. It offers the opportunity to see many places I can check off my bucket list, and the Hop-On Hop-Off feature makes it a full day of fun and connection with loved ones. A little-known fact is that I'm the voice of the City Sightseeing bus, so I literally get the chance to practice what I preach through those earphones. Spier This place will always be special to me and my family. It offers picnics with friends, which lead to games of 30 Seconds and snacks on the lawns. Their restaurant, Vadas, serves the best Pastéis de Nata I have ever tasted, along with Smokehouse offerings one can only dream of. Who would've thought a head of broccoli could be so good? I'd highly recommend it. R310 Baden Powell Dr, Stellenbosch Epice One of my favourite places in the world is Franschhoek. It is brimming with amazing restaurants and truly incredible experiences. The chef at the helm here is Charne Sampson (Mouton), who is a genius when it comes to mixing lekker Cape Malay flavours with French techniques. When you're there, snap as many pics as you can, especially of the ice cream cart that swings by for dessert. Beau Constantia I love this spot – it's fine dining, but it never feels inaccessible. The menu changes beautifully and often, not just seasonally, thanks to the experimental mind of my friend, Chef Ivor Jones, who just scooped Chef of the Year at the 2025 Eat Out Awards. 1043 Constantia Main Rd, Constantia Salsify Clearly, I'm a restaurant guy, but this place is one of those spots where your phone constantly comes out to snap pictures of the décor, graffiti, and preserved history. The menu is always fresh and creative, and the chef, Ryan Cole, is a humble, talented guy who makes you feel like you've been invited over to his place for some though it's a multi-award-winning, must-see restaurant. Tulbagh Recently, I was invited to experience Tulbagh, just a little over an hour outside of Cape Town, and I was highly impressed with the incredible places one can explore there. This included a stay at Rijk's Wine Estate as well as Manley Estate, where I was thoroughly impressed with the culinary team, made up of trained local women from the area. I'm also booked to stay at the Geodome accommodation soon, something I've wanted to do for the past few years.
Time Out
05-06-2025
- Time Out
Spier Hotel's luxe glow-up is worth extending your stay for
Founded in 1692, all South Africans know Spier, usually thanks to the bottle of wine you take to your friends. For those who've visited in the last decade or so, the association is likely the conferencing element, the cheetah encounter experience or the birds of prey. None of those are available anymore (except good wine, still plenty of that) as Spier embraces a revamp that, frankly, feels more like a rebirth. The vibe is country but classic The new hotel resembles nothing of its former conferencing fame. Their 155 rooms were transformed into a boutique hotel with 80 rooms. The hotel is more of a retreat with endemic flora along paths that connect the various Cape terraced buildings. Every room and suite has a scenic view, whether it's the river, the gardens or the mountains. If you're looking for a space to touch grass, this is it. From using plants propagated on the farm to the repurposing of tables and lamp bases from the previous furnishings, the carbon impact of the revamp was carefully considered. Rooms exude effortless elegance with simplistic design. Luxurious touches feel like home, but better: think Karoo wool carpets, solid oak floors and silk linen and cotton textures. The details make the difference I usually leave minibars as I find them. Not here. They're crammed with Spier's award-winning wines, beers, soft drinks, iced tea and all the good stuff: white chocolate honeycomb, salted caramel marshmallow bars, roasted nuts and biltong - all included in your rate. It's the little touches, like the pot of honey and a fresh lemon beside the loose leaf rooibos tea grown on the farm, or the heated floors in the bathroom. Tempting as it is to become one with your fireside couch, wine in hand, I'd encourage you to venture out. Over 1,000 artworks from the Spier Arts Trust sprawl across the estate in rooms, restaurants and gardens. Provided you haven't enjoyed your minibar too thoroughly, you can hop on a Segway for a vineyard tour or join Farmer Angus and his chickens. The real magic is tasting that 'farm-fresh' difference. The pasteis de nata are the best I've had in South Africa, a claim I verified through daily samples. Eggs are indeed a popular choice on the breakfast a la carte menu, though you can help yourself to pastries, cured ham, smoked salmon and fruit from the harvest table. Eat (and drink) your way around the farm Other dining options include dinner at the spacious Veld with an open kitchen and massive artworks adorning the walls (senior wine educator Tyson Meyi is on hand with a warm smile and a pairing recommendation), or go for something more casual at Vadas Smokehouse and Bakery. There's also Bubbles and Braai or the Picnickery, where you can pre-order your basket before choosing a lakeside spot to set up your supplied blankets and backrests. I'm on the side of 30 where birdwatching is a thing, so I admired the purple herons and malachite sunbirds flitting around. A full day of farm exploring is best ended with a glass of Spier's 21 Gables Chenin Blanc, enjoyed around the fire pit on the rooftop bar with a gorgeous view of the sunset tinting the Helderberg mountains. If you're inclined, a bougie celebration can be organised in the Manor House, where Chef Hennie will come up with a special menu for your nearest and dearest in the original farmhouse buildings. Using the ground for good Feeling like a veritable Anne of Green (21?) Gables, I wandered around the apothecary garden with Dr Caren Hauptfleisch, the resident phytotherapist and then experienced the benefits of the homegrown herbs during Spier's signature Cape Herbal Bathhouse treatment, which involved becoming a human teabag. I was exfoliated on a heated marble slab, wrapped in linen for a herbal soak, and then massaged from head to toe. Spier's regenerative practices go beyond buzzwords: their water is 100% recycled and they send zero waste to landfill. Exploring the farm gives insights into these practices, even down to a free-choice mineral lick available to the cattle (not you… you get a custard tart instead). The livestock are also frequently moved to assist with carbon sequestration, and if you have no idea what that is, Angus will be so glad you asked. Spier's long-term community commitment is also evidenced in its Growing For Good initiatives, like projects to reduce youth unemployment and boost entrepreneur development, as well as Living Soils, dedicated to producing a new generation of regenerative farmers and Tree-preneurs, where community members learn how to grow trees from seeds which are then traded for vouchers for essential items. Long story short: your stay helps these projects thrive. Cheers to that. Child-friendly fun means more grown-up time If you've got kids, you're in for a treat. There's an Elemental Garden, open to all visitors, where play means hiding in the reeds, skidding down stone slides, and clambering rope bridges. Hotel guests with children get the perks of the Buzz Club, a programme with multiple daily activities centred around nature, like building bug hotels, making flower crowns, petal perfumes, painting and baking. And their parents get to enjoy everything else, like the heated pool. If your last visit to Spier was a few years back or involved a conferencing lanyard, it's about time you paid them a visit. Bring the family, stay a week and use Spier as a base to explore the Winelands and Cape Town. That is, if you can bear to leave the farm.
The Citizen
28-05-2025
- General
- The Citizen
Creative Block 5 with Cape-style slow braised oxtail in red wine
This saucy oxtail stew, infused with red wine, tomatoes, cinnamon, and cloves, offers the perfumed comfort of a Cape Tomato Bredie. It pairs beautifully with our Spier Creative Block 5, a Bordeaux-style blend led by Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine's blackberry, cherry, and blackcurrant notes complement the rich, meaty flavours of the oxtail, while hints of cedar and dark chocolate enhance the stew's depth. Recipe compliments of Spier. Ingredients 45 ml (3 tablespoons) olive oil About 2 kg oxtail, cut into chunks by your butcher Salt and pepper, to taste 250 g streaky bacon, chopped 1 large onion, chopped into rough chunks 2 large carrots, peeled and roughly diced 3-4 large celery sticks, chopped into rough chunks 4-5 garlic cloves, sliced 250ml 1 cup good quality dry red wine 1 x 400 g tin chopped tomatoes 30 ml (2 tablespoons) tomato purée 500 ml (2 cups) good quality beef stock/broth 1 stick cinnamon 1 ml (¼ teaspoon) ground cloves For the gremolata and to serve: A generous bunch of parsley (20-40g), finely chopped Finely grated zest of 1-2 lemons 1 garlic clove, finely grated or finely chopped Freshly cooked pap, rice, potatoes or pasta to serve (choose your favourite) Method Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based pot over medium-high heat and fry the oxtail on at least two sides until lightly brown, working in batches. Season with salt and pepper as you go, and don't overcrowd the pot. Transfer the browned meat batches to a large plate, then stir the bacon, onion, carrot and celery. Cover the pot with a lid for a few minutes, allowing steam to loosen the browned bits on the bottom, and stir well. Continue to fry the bacon and vegetables for about 7-10 minutes, or until the bacon starts to brown and the onions soften. Add the garlic and stir. By now, there should be a new brown sticky residue on the bottom – that's perfect. Add the wine and stir to deglaze the pot. Add the tomatoes, purée, stock, cinnamon and cloves, stir and bring to a simmer. Return the meat to the pot, arranging it in a single layer to immerse the chunks in the liquid fully. Turn the heat to a simmer, then cover with a lid and cook for about 4 hours or until the meat is very tender and almost falls from the bone here and there (you don't want to cook it from the bone). Remove from the heat, taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary. Leave to rest for a few minutes before serving. Serve hot with your choice of starch and a sprinkle of gremolata. For the gremolata: Mix the parsley, lemon zest, and garlic together in a small bowl. If you prefer, leave it to stand on the counter for an hour or two to dry out slightly. Serve it at room temperature as a condiment with the stew.
