Stellenbosch · South Africa
Springfontein Wine Estate
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Johst Weber always had the goal that when he was forty, he would start his own adventure, something he could be truly passionate about. As a second-generation mining engineer in the Ruhr area, he was responsible for facility management at the ThyssenKrupp group. After ThyssenKrupp, he founded an energy contracting business with cost-effective energy solutions and is active in Germany and the USA. With his passion for wine, acquiring a winery was an obvious choice. Farms in the established areas were too expensive, and then he heard about a farm for sale outside of Stanford - not a well-known wine-growing region, although the estates in the nearby Hemel-en-Aarde Valley were already highly regarded. When he visited the farm, he found it was inhabited by a few cows and goats and a lonely old man. The rest was wilderness, but there was a productive spring and a limestone ridge ran through the property, making it ideal for vines. So, in 1994, he bought Springfontein with a group of friends and kept the majority stake. The first vines were planted in 1998, while the first vintage was in 2005. Only a small part of the more than 500-hectare vineyard area is cultivated. The vineyards consist of 80% red grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Shiraz, Pinotage, and Merlot, as well as 20% white grape varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc, Semillon, and Chardonnay. However, the focus is shifting more and more to the two typical South African varieties, Chenin Blanc and Pinotage. The appointment of Tariro Masayiti as winemaker and Hildegard Witbooi as gardener and vineyard manager has opened a new and very exciting chapter at the winery. The arrival of Jürgen & Susanne Schneider from Germany to open a restaurant on the estate has made Springfontein one of the most attractive destinations in the region. Farmhouses in the Milkwood Forest complement the exquisite experience that Springfontein has to offer.
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About Springfontein Wine Estate
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Springfontein Wine Estate –
Wilderness, limestone, and passion near Stanford
Springfontein Wine Estate is located on a former wilderness farm outside of Stanford on the South African coast – not far from the renowned Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. What began in 1994 as a personal adventure of the German mining engineer Dr. Johst Weber is today a serious winery with a clear signature. Weber bought the estate together with friends when established wine regions were simply too expensive for him. What he found was raw land: a few cows, goats, an old man – and a limestone ridge that runs through the property and predestines the soils for vines.
The first vines were planted in 1998, the first vintage came into the bottle in 2005. On the more than 500-hectare estate, only a small part is actually cultivated – care before mass. Around 80 percent of the vineyard area is accounted for by red varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Shiraz, Pinotage, and Merlot. The remaining 20 percent belong to white varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc. The limestone soil and the proximity to the Atlantic shape the wines with cool freshness and mineral structure – a style that is still rather rare in this region.
Springfontein stands for what happens when someone goes into an unknown region with real enthusiasm and without blinders. No family tradition, no established name – just good soil, a productive spring, and the will to make something of one's own out of it.