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 Sauvignon Blanc Top 10 and their Pinotage in the Pinotage Top 10. So, it was a huge honour to join the team to mark and celebrate these achievements. Cellarmaster Johan Jordaan, brand manager Rowan Ellappen, resident sommelier Georgio Meletiou, and chef Hennie Nel guided us through the dinner. They paired delicious fatty and salty charcuterie with their award-winning Pinotage (highly recommended) and they served lamb to die for and an unusual nutmeg velouté. 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 and have a look at the series of Winemaker Dinners at Spier – and enjoy an evening in the Manor House being treated like royalty.