THE SOIL ROOM AT SPIER
The new Soil Room at Spier Wine Estate in the Cape is a dedicated space where visitors can experience the farm’s focus on regeneration – from vineyard practices to indigenous species propagation, replanting programmes, restoring biodiversity and keeping healthy ecosystems in balance.
Three key people involved in this are nursery manager Wilton Sikhosana, farm manager Orlando Filander, and regenerative farmer Angus McIntosh. Sikhosana has overseen the propagation of indigenous species for over two decades and is doing restorative work, planting back all the indigenous and endemic plants that were removed from the farm. Filander confirms that they are custodians of the farm, with everyone working there aiming to leave it in a better state. McIntosh highlights the role of soil health, explaining that the more carbon in the soil, the more water and nutrients it can hold. This enables Spier to produce foods that are nutrient-dense and at the same time, build an ecosystem on the farm.
The Soil Room is a space where visitors can engage with the legacy of Spier’s regenerative work: indigenous plants, locally grown yellowwood trees and handmade wreaths bring botanicals into the home; botanical inks extracted from local plants show how creativity and sustainability work in synergy, and Chris van Niekerk’s Ecoskeletons are sculptures made from foraged botanical materials, highlighting the vital role insects play in sustaining life.
In 2024, over 17 697 trees, shrubs and groundcovers were planted at Spier to restore fynbos, wetlands and landscapes across the farm.
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