- Delheim’s story traces the full arc of South African wine, from post-war resilience and institutional building under Michael “Spatz” Sperling, to a modern estate focused on inclusivity, stewardship and relevance.
- Under third-generation custodians, Victor and Nora Sperling, and guided by cellar master Roelof Lotriet and winemaker Nongcebo “Noni” Langa, the estate balances tradition with experimentation while broadening who feels welcome in wine.
- Through initiatives such as A Journey of Firsts, Delheim reframes wine as a shared cultural conversation rather than an exclusive language, proving that legacy and accessibility need not be at odds.
“Are we still having enough fun?” - Spatz Sperling.
Victor Sperling, the eldest son of Spatz and Vera Sperling and the first of four children, met me late in December—officially my last interview of 2025—and immediately loaded Emile Joubert and myself, along with his two Jack Russells (Lisa and Chenin), into his 4x4 to go up the mountain—Simonsberg that is.
Around 420m above sea level on the mountain is a panoramic view of the Cape Winelands—which, in the presence of a third-generation custodian of the land, the son of the legendary “Blêrrie Duitser”, Spatz Sperling—seems almost commonplace, though no less imposing. Imagine the sense of responsibility looking out at a landscape like that.
Few Stellenbosch estates trace the full arc of South African wine quite as clearly as Delheim. Founded on resilience, humour, and quiet defiance, its story begins with Michael “Spatz” Sperling, “die blêrrie Duitser”, and continues today in ways that reflect not only continuity but also a conscious widening of who wine is for.
Sperling arrived in South Africa in 1951 with little more than conviction and a deep belief in the land. Through his aunt, Del Hoheisen, after whom Delheim (”Del’s Home”) was named, he found both a home and a calling.
He lived a life shaped by thrift, ingenuity and humility.
“Lack of money and Tante Del’s inherent thriftiness certainly helped instil in me the reality of a common South African axiom that holds an invaluable lesson: ’n boer maak ’n plan,” he says.
That pragmatism propelled Delheim to the forefront of a changing industry.
Beyond the cellar, Sperling’s influence was fundamental. As one of the “Three Angry Men” alongside Frans Malan and Sydney Back, he helped establish the Wine of Origin scheme, the Stellenbosch Wine Route and the Nederburg Wine Auction, pillars that still define South African wine today.
His foresight extended to vineyards as well, investing early in Simonsberg land long before its value was universally recognised.
For all his seriousness, humour was central to Sperling’s worldview. His memoir, the hilarious account entitled Cellar Stories and Other Disasters, read like an unfiltered oral industry history: pink Riesling, runaway tanks, Pinotage mishaps and the infamous Spatzendreck label, once dubbed the world’s worst by Decanter.
His message was simple and enduring: Wine is made by people, and people are fallible. And that’s okay.
That humanity remains Delheim’s defining trait. Today, the estate produces around 23 wines, but its core range of 12 speaks clearly to the diversity and quality of its Simonsberg terroir.
Cabernet Sauvignon and the Grand Reserve red blend remain cornerstones, alongside a cooler-slope Chardonnay and a consistently popular Wild Ferment Chenin Blanc.
Among the most highly rated wines are the elegant Vera Cruz Pinotage, a refined Simonsberg expression, and the joint-venture Staying Alive Riesling produced in collaboration with German winemaker Christoph Hammel, widely regarded as among South Africa’s finest examples of the noble grape and a fitting nod to Delheim’s German heritage.
Since 2018, this portfolio has been guided by cellar master Roelof Lotriet. Originally from Bloemfontein, Lotriet studied winemaking at Stellenbosch University before spending a decade honing his craft at Rust en Vrede and Guardian Peak.
Wine was never incidental in his upbringing: His parents, Dr Annelie Lotriet, the deputy speaker of the National Assembly, and Pieter Lotriet, a long-serving DA councillor in the Mangaung Metro, encouraged one of their four sons to pursue a life in wine, fuelled by a shared household affection for Sauvignon Blanc.
At Delheim, Lotriet brings both rigour and curiosity. Alongside safeguarding the estate’s classics, he works with winemaker Nongcebo “Noni” Langa on the experimental Iconoclast range, including an unexpected white blend of Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Colombar and Muscat, a deliberate exploration of Simonsberg’s breadth rather than a stylistic statement.
It is this balance between structure, legacy and experimentation that defines Delheim’s current winemaking voice.
Langa’s appointment as winemaker and her 2023 Diners Club Young Winemaker of the Year award marked a quiet but profound turning point. Calm, scholarly and deeply intentional, she represents a new generation grounded in knowledge rather than bravado, and her presence has expanded both those who feel welcome at Delheim and who see themselves reflected in South African wine.
That philosophy finds its voice in A Journey of Firsts, Delheim’s recent four-part short-film series, following Johannesburg creator Mpho “Soweto Hippie” from his Soweto home to Stellenbosch.
From tractor rides and tasting-room laughter to the disarming honesty of confronting a wine list “thicker than a Bible,” the film frames wine not as an exclusive language, but a lekker conversation.
Their sense of responsibility extends beyond people to the land. Under third-generation custodians Victor and Nora Sperling, Delheim farms 89 hectares under vine across its two properties, Delheim and Vera Cruz (named for Victor and Nora’s mother), within a broader 400-hectare footprint.
In response to mounting industry pressures, the family has focused on protection rather than expansion: becoming among the first WWF Conservation Champions on the Simonsberg (now totalling 32 members in the area), planting wheat on fallow land, and committing large tracts to conservation.
Nora has chaired the Klapmutskop Conservancy for many years, reinforcing Delheim’s role as steward, rather than spectacle.
The Sperlings’ instinct for hospitality is not new. Delheim was the first farm in South Africa to open a tasting room in 1976, and its restaurant remains open seven days a week, year-round, except on a handful of public holidays. Accessibility, here, is not a marketing gimmick.
“What is your definition of success?” Nora Sperling asks me, surrounded, as Delheim is, by increasingly high-end neighbours.
Her answer is neither scale nor status, but cultural preservation, protecting the farm as a shared South African inheritance. It is a philosophy that has allowed Delheim not merely to survive, but to evolve with integrity.
From a “difficult German” with a sense of humour to a new generation expanding the boundaries of who wine belongs to, Delheim remains a mirror of South African wine itself: layered, human, and still very much in motion.
Spatz’s question, still a guiding light: “Are we still having enough fun?”
It’s a thought for 2026.
Watch Delheim’s Journey of Firstshere.
