Looking across the vines at Springfontein Wine Estate towards the lagoon and Hermanus
Jennifer & Johst Weber
Johst Weber always had the aim that by the time he was forty he would start a venture of his own, something he could be truly passionate about.
A second generation mining engineer in Germany’s Ruhr Valley, he was an executive at the Thyssen Group, responsible for facility management. After Thyssen he started an energy contracting business which provides cost-effective energy solutions, and operates in Germany and the USA.
With his passion for wine, acquiring a wine estate was an obvious choice. Farms in the more established areas were too pricey and then he heard about a farm that might be for sale outside Stanford — not a known wine-growing area of any note although estates in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley nearby were already very highly regarded.
Visiting the farm, he found it was occupied by a few cows and goats, and a solitary old man. The rest was wilderness, but there was a productive spring and a limestone ridge ran through the property which made it ideal for vines.
So, in 1995, he bought Springfontein with a group of friends, retaining the majority share. The first vines were planted in 1998 and the last blocks completed in 2002. The first vintage was in 2005.
Vines cover 25ha of the 500ha property. The vineyards are made up of 80% red varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Shiraz, Pinotage and Merlot, and 20% white varietals such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Semillon and Chardonnay. The two flagship wines of the winery are two typical South African varieties namely the Jil’s Dune Chenin blanc and the Jonathan’s Ridge Pinotage.
Jennifer, Johst’s second wife, has brought a new focus and energy to the estate. From the USA, she grew up in farming communities and trained in France and Germany on biodynamic farms. Her first business was landscaping in California which she ran for six years. When her marriage ended, she needed to earn more money and started consulting as a systems advisor and business coach, working for HP, BMW, Mercedes-AMG and Audi in Germany. Her last projects as sales and technical trainer finished in 2011.
Together they bring the determination and competence to make Springfontein a winning destination in its own right. The appointment Tariro Masayiti as winemaker last year started a new and very exciting chapter in the wines from the estate. The arrival of Jurgen & Susanne Schneider from Germany this year to open a restaurant on the estate later in the year will make Springfontein one of the most compelling destinations in the area. Farm accommodation in the Milkwood forest will follow later.
And it’s not just about the estate and how they treat staff there, they are also committed to making a difference in the wider community. They are exploring the possibility of opening a culinary academy in the town where students will get their practical experience at the estate’s restaurant.
They may have just been known for their wines up to now, but Springfontein is about to become far more than that in the coming months…
