As a child, Tania Kleintjes-Moses dreamed of being a mad scientist. “I love tinkering with stuff and seeing what happens.” This dream, her love for science experimentation along with an interest in biology, has led to her current role: the organic winemaker at Spier.
Tania studied viticulture and oenology at a time – 2007 – when organic wines and future farming were not part of the curriculum at Stellenbosch University. Her first and current employer, Spier, wasn’t producing organic wines when she took a position as assistant red wine winemaker.
In 2015, when Spier released its first organically certified vintage it became clear they needed a bigger team for the job. With its stringent rules and excessive paperwork, organic winemaking was a natural fit for Tania’s exacting approach and she joined as the organic winemaker, her current role. Her maiden vintage in 2016 achieved significant success, with one of her wines receiving a five-star rating on the prestigious Platter’s Wine Guide list.
Currently, organic wines make up about 10% of Spier’s total production, all of which is overseen by Tania.
As the organic winemaker, Tania ensures that all organic wines meet strict organic standards. In South Africa, farmers are not permitted to use genetically modified grapevines for winemaking. For a wine to be considered organic it must also be made with organically grown grapes, contain no synthetic additives, contain low levels of sulfites, and be certified by an accredited organic certification body. While the farm produces both conventional and organic wines, it only has one cellar, and because the regulations around making organic wines are so strict, cleaning certificates are needed in between batches to upkeep certification.
As Spier ventured into organic wine production, Tania’s home life shifted too. After having her second child in 2017, she began to apply the same fastiduous considerations she applied in organic winemaking to food choices for her family. “If I do this with a wine, how can I give them junk food?” she says. “My kids can’t eat GMOs. We don’t have enough studies to show what the long-term effects are.”
Harvest time is both incredibly stressful and exhilarating for Tania and her team. They have just two to three months to set the foundations for the whole year ahead, a process that cannot be sped up with technology. During this period, the human connection that is so inherent to winemaking is heightened: “My job is safe: this is stuff that computers can’t do.”
This creativity is what appeals to Tania, and organic winemaking is particularly artistic. The role is a delicate blend of ensuring compliance and accreditation while also overseeing the entire winemaking journey, from harvest to bottling. Amidst the serious responsibilities, Tania finds joy in the unconventional practices too. Feather mulching, fermenting in ceramic eggs, and consulting her lunar calendar phone app to align her process with the moon are just a few of the ways she ensures her wines are authentic, unique, and keep her inner mad scientist happy.
- See the selection of Spier organic wines here
- Images supplied by Spier
