Philosophy
“A great wine begins in your head”
The vision of Koen Roose is to produce elegant wines that show purity of fruit and terroir. Koen’s unique approach to trellising and viticulture are what hold the power of Spioenkop Wines.
The wine making philosophy is low intervention, allowing the wine to have a voice without putting technology and an interfering winemaker in the way.
Koen’s passionate mission is to bring older vintage wines to market and therein a process of education. Spioenkop combines Old and New world, which makes it a unique brand, proudly served at tables across the world.
Soil
Spioenkop is situated on top of a koppie
(hill) in the Elgin Valley, making it the
highest point in a crater- or saucer-like
valley. The Elgin Valley used to be a swamp
approximately 400 million years ago, but
the very top of Spioenkop was never under
water, resulting in a different soil type
compared to the rest of the valley. The top
is very rocky and consists of ferricrete-rich
rocks and clay. The lower part has the
classic Bokkeveld shale soil, both of which
are very poor soil types.
Spioenkop has significant elevation
differences, with the lowest point at 180 m
and the highest at 310 m, as well as many
gorges between the planted “fingers,”
which guarantees good drainage.
Planting & Pruning
Koen is a winegrower at heart and realised long ago that everything starts in the vineyard. The philosophy is that only vines under stress can produce the most
beautiful grapes.
Good drainage is made possible by the slopes of Spioenkop, there is root competition through high density planting and the Lyre trellising system, and even the wind direction plays a roll in the planting.
Nothing is random. The vineyards are also entirely dry-farmed.
Pruning is a major task at Spioenkop as well, where rejuvenating the vine arms is considered key to ensure good nutrient flow.
Winemaking
Natural fermentation, no enzymes added, cold stabilisation.
Spioenkop is known for its freshness and minerality. Oak is used only as a supporting element to elevate the wines: when one has exceptional terroir, the wine does not need to be masked by oak.
We are also often asked whether we are organic. Spioenkop is situated in apple and pear country,which means we cannot obtain organic certification.However, if we want our wines to ferment naturally,we must work as naturally as possible. As a winemaker, one must still be able to look oneself in the mirror.
The story behind the name
Spioenkop Wines takes its name from Spioenkop Hill in KwaZulu-Natal. During the Anglo-Boer War in1900, a key battle between the British and the Boers (Dutch settlers) was fought around this hill. The battle was won by the Boers — although the war was ultimately won by the British.
Back to Elgin: this hill was said to share the same characteristics as the original Spioenkop in KwaZulu-Natal and was therefore given the same name. When Koen learned the story behind it, he immediately decided to keep the name — and the rest is history.
Koen often refers to his vines as his “ladies,” which inspired him to name some of the wines after women who played important roles during this period of history: Sarah Raal (unwooded Chenin Blanc),Johanna Brandt (wooded Chenin Blanc), and Queen Manthatisi (blend).
As a side note, Queen Manthatisi lived before the Anglo-Boer War, but her story is no less remarkable.
Sarah Raal
Sarah Raal belonged to a wealthy farmers family whereby her brothers and father went to combat and her mother and younger siblings to concentration camps. Being left alone, she decided to take up weapons and join the war together with the Boers against the British.
Johanna Brandt
When Pretoria was conquered by the English, Johanna Brandt (being Dutch / part of the Boers) served as a nurse. As such she organised women to spy on British officers, which information served the Boers in the guerilla that took place at that moment.
Queen Manthatisi
Not part of the Anglo-Boer War, but still a remarkable woman in South-African history. She lived in what is now the Free State and was part of the BaSia people. Still, despite being BaSia and a woman, she managed to rule over the BaTlokwa people with great success. She became a feared military strategist and war general.