Spier's innovative wastewater treatment plant cleans and re-energises our grey-and black wastewater. After initial treatment through an activated-sludge process and a bioreactor, the water passes through a reed bed and into a ying-yang shaped pond where it is driven through a number of ‘flow forms’ before being transported to a nearby irrigation dam. The clean water is then used for flushing in the washrooms and to irrigate gardens and lawns on the property.

The treatment plant also includes healing elements, such as a labyrinth, as well as elements of the work of Japanese researcher Dr Masaru Emoto. His studies have indicated that water molecules react more harmoniously to positive words and energies than to a negative input. We have also included some positive words throughout the treatment facility to facilitate this process.

We’ve installed water-saving devices on showers, basins and toilets in our 80-room hotel, restaurants and other public spaces. The hotel’s main swimming pool uses rain harvested water that is circulated through a filtration and pump system for cleaning and reticulation. We have a water filtration plant that can clean 120 000l of borehole water per day for our hotel guests. We take a proactive approach to managing our water consumption by monitoring our daily use online, which also aids in identifying possible water leaks.

As a WWF-SA Conservation Champion, Spier is mainly focused on rehabilitating the riparian systems that flow through the farm – this includes the removal of alien vegetation and the planting of indigenous riverine species that consume much less water. We played a critical role in establishing the Stellenbosch River Collaborative (SRC), a multi-stakeholder partnership forum aiming to restore health to the Eerste River catchment.

According to the Integrated Production of Wines (IPW) environmental sustainability scheme, South African wineries that are similar in size to Spier typically use an average of 5.6L of water for 1L of wine. A combination of effective cleaning programmes, staff training, water-saving devices, use of high-pressure machines and barrel steamers means we have reduced the amount of water we use to just 1.47L per 1L of wine made.

All vineyards on the Spier farm are watered with drip irrigation. Continuous logging irrigation probes monitor soil moisture and provide data on how much water each vineyard and pasture needs, thereby allowing us to optimise our irrigation management and prevent wastage.