Johan Jordaan, cellar master at Spier, tells db about following in his father's footsteps, Karoo lamb cutlets and how wine should stand apart from mass-produced products.
After growing up on a grape farm near Rawsonville in South Africa’s Western Cape, Johan Jordaan studied winemaking at Elsenburg Agricultural College in Stellenbosch before taking an assistant winemaker role at Slanghoek, where he quickly took charge of red winemaking. In 2007, Jordaan took this expertise to Spier as senior red winemaker, before succeeding his mentor Frans Smit to become cellar master here in 2021.
What job did you imagine yourself doing when you were seven years old?
I don’t remember dreaming about a specific career at that age. But later in life, after growing up on a farm near Rawsonville in the Western Cape, I was determined to do something different to my grape-growing father. I was all set to apply for a degree in Chemical Engineering, but all those hours helping out with the harvest when I was growing up proved too much to walk away from. Standing in the cellar, I was captivated by the familiar, heady scent of fermented grapes, and that settled it: I decided I should go into winemaking after all.
Who first led you down the winemaking career path, and how?
After school, I worked at a big winery as a cellar hand. By walking with the winemakers and working closely with them, I got introduced to the process of winemaking, but not understanding the whole process. Somewhere during this time, the winemakers and cellar master planted a seed that took another two years to sprout. This led to me enrolling at Elsenburg Agricultural College in Stellenbosch to learn more about farming in general, and finally homing in on winemaking.
What’s the most recent lesson this job has taught you?
Patience is the ultimate reward. After you have applied all the skill, knowledge and hours of hard work, you just have to be patient to enjoy the results of all this effort. You cannot know everything and need to be open to learn and experience more.
If you were a wine, what would your back label say?
Gregarious and outgoing on introduction, with real density and depth of character.
What’s the last book you read?
The Body: A Guide For Occupants by Bill Bryson.
What’s the last live music performance you saw?
Ed Sheeran.
What frustrates you most about the world of wine?
When it’s treated like any other mass-produced product. Wine should be special. It’s carefully grown and crafted to enhance our experiences. Good wine should spark interesting conversations, complement our meals and even transport us to a state of joy and contentment. But, when we treat it like just another item on a shelf, we lose sight of what makes wine truly valuable and unique.
Which sustainability initiative are you most proud of, and why?
The journey of enhancing soil health and making it more resilient. Regenerative agriculture is a journey that can be applied to all segments of agriculture.
If you could change one thing about your wine region, what would it be?
That it is more respected for the wines it can produce.
Which winemaker do you most admire, and why?
I don’t admire one specific winemaker, but rather a certain type of winemaker. I respect winemakers who are passionate and who can articulate what their vines can produce. I admire people who can effectively share their story to promote their wines to the consumer.
Which missing skill do you most wish you possessed?
Patience and wisdom.
What’s your idea of a perfect holiday?
Outdoors, enjoying our beautiful landscapes. It ranges from a relaxing summer beach holiday to camping in the Kalahari Desert, either in Namibia or the Northern Cape, or a safari in the Bushveld, driving dirt roads and observing wildlife in its natural habitat.
What is the most pressing personal or professional ambition you’d like to fulfil?
To understand the human psyche: how it responds to different influences and, following that, what the desires will be.
What would your final meal be? And what would you drink with it?
My final meal would be a classic South African dish: succulent Karoo lamb cutlets, known for their distinctive flavour due to the herbs the sheep graze on in the Karoo region. Served with baked potatoes lightly dressed with truffle oil for an extra touch of luxury. To complement this meal, I’d choose between either the Spier 21 Gables Chenin Blanc or the Spier Creative Block 5 (Bordeaux-style) blend.
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