Whether you’re talking about the wine from Château Petrus, Opus One or any of the world’s great cellars, these classics are targeted at a small number of people. “As a crazy Belgian,” chuckles Koen, “I dream of being counted among those classics one day. Of course there is much more to it than just the name, but Spioenkop Wines can and shall make a wine that will give the connoisseur a unique wow-feeling – grandiose, standing out from the crowd, a special wine with so much nuance and complexity that you will literally get goose bumps.”
Koen’s obsession with the Cape Winelands began more than 15 years ago and turned into a passion for the Elgin terroir. “While following and tasting the evolution of South African wines, I have done business with icons in the industry who are highly regarded by the elite group consumers, the serious wine aficionados. To understand ‘big’, terroir-driven wines, you must have tasted and learned about them and be able to put them into words. Passion and devotion are to winemaking what salt and pepper are in the kitchen – key to making wines that reflect the soil and climate where they come from.”
Koen’s search for what he considered an ideal piece of land in an ideal position to fulfil his dream took four long years. “I was looking at the potential of Elgin even before it was first promoted as a top winemaking area in the Cape, and at Spioenkop I am blessed with a very unique piece of terroir.”
Many of the famous wineries in various other regions buy in grapes from Elgin, probably still better known for its apples. Almost like a crater, circular with a mountainous perimeter, the farmlands of Elgin are on a plateau at an altitude of some 200m at its lowest point. The height above sea level makes for a temperature range that is about 3ºC lower than the neighbouring areas. Spioenkop is also in the middle of the cold Atlantic wind funnel that blows right through the valley. All of this results in Spioenkop’s vineyards being among the coolest in Elgin.
SPIOENKOP TERROIR
The soil at Spioenkop is dominated by soil types that originate from weathered ‘bokkeveld’ shale and iron-rich ‘ferricrete’ cobblestones, which in some blocks include a mix of clay soils with a high water retention capacity. The shale is characterised by fossils and mineral deposits that contribute to the style of wines from the farm.
Each of the grape varieties at Spioenkop is planted on different underground, chosen for their particular characteristics. Life isn’t easy for the vines, and that’s just how the winemaker likes it – plenty of rocks and grit in the upper layers and deep, porous clay in the sub-soils being characteristic of the Côte de Nuits in Burgundy, France.
The vines are planted close together (high density), which Koen feels is crucial for the production of marvellous wines. “Competition with their neighbours helps the vines to stay healthy and results in wines that have a deep colour and matching complexity.”
