As a brand, Spier quietly gets on with doing the right thing, so I was delighted to be included at a dinner to celebrate all their incredible achievements in the last year.Did you know that the entire hotel is being refurbished/renovated (a process of at least 12 months) and not one of the staff is losing their job. In fact, they are being up-skilled. It is this kind of commitment to the people, sustainability, regenerative farm and the environment which has garnered them the Drinks Business Ethical Award - just one of the many on their Trophy list of late. Their awards are many and prestigious, and include being recognised as Best South African Producer 1993-2023 at Mundus Vini Spring, as well as having 2 wines in the Top 10 variety awards competitions in SA; the Seaward Sauvignon Blanc is in the Top Sauvignon Blancs and their Pinotage in the ABSA Top 10 Pinotage. So it was a huge honour to join the team to mark and celebrate these achievements. CellarMaster Johan Jordaan, Brand Manager SA Wines - Rowan Ellappen, Sommelier Georgio Meletiou and Chef Hennie Nel guided us through the dinner, pairing delicious fatty and salty charcuterie with their award-winning Pinotage (highly recommended), lamb to die for and an unusual nutmeggy veloute.. Johan regaled us with stories of their trips to France in the early days - it was most enjoyable. It really helps when you pair the right foods with the wines - so do yourself a favour - have a look at the series of Winemaker Dinners at Spier - and enjoy an evening in the Manor House being treated like royalty.