The history of Springfield Estate wines can be traced back to as early as 1688 when the France-based Huguenots family landed in South Africa with vines. Today, this winery is a family-run group that is managed by the brother-sister duo of Abrie and Jeanette Bruwer, the 9th generation descendants of the Huguenots. Located in the backdrop of the mountains of the Robertson Valley in the Western Cape of South Africa, the Springfield Estate Winery is excellently managed by the winemaking expertise of Abrie and the marketing brilliance of Jeanette.
The Springfield soils are known for their rocky texture, which makes planting the vines a huge challenge. Though almost 70% of the soils in this region are made from quartz rock, they are rich in lime content. The grapes for this brand of wines are also cultivated in the vineyards of Breed River, where the soils are sandy-loamy in texture. These vineyards are clearly arranged according to their soil type, so that they can produce the ripest and most flavourful of fruits.
The cellars of Springfield Estate were constructed around 1902 and an important highlight of this brand is that the team uses risky, modern and traditional winemaking methods to produce the highest quality of wine ever of this region. The grapes are hand-picked and undergo a very natural process of pressing and fermentation here. You cannot find any pumps or crushers here. The cellar makes use of the natural gravity system for transportation of the grapes, so that they aren’t damaged.
The cellars are equipped with bottle ageing and barrel ageing techniques. After they are fermented well, the wines are barrel-aged for 2 years and bottle-aged for 4 years, so that their flavours are fully retained by the time they are released into the market. Springfield Estate uses only natural, wild yeast for fermentation to protect the character of the grapes.