A Stellenbosch Wine Route Stellenbosch Wine Route wine farm that’s close to the ocean? Welcome to Vergenoegd Löw Wine Estate situated off the R310 (Baden Powell Drive) just 22km from Cape Town International Airport; under 40km from the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, and less than 90km from the celebrated seaside town of Hermanus. Vergenoegd Löw is both centrally located and within easy access of a lot of local attractions and amenities. I recently visited on a rainy Cape Town day for a blind wine tasting at their Homestead Wine Lounge and lunch at Geuwels restaurant.
Cellar-door Wine Tastings at the Homestead Wine Lounge
I arrived at Vergenoegd Löw Wine Estate on a moody Cape Town day pouring with rain. The welcoming staff met up with me midway to the Homestead Wine Lounge with a handy umbrella to shield me (and my outfit!) from the unforgiving rain. The Homestead Wine Lounge has a warm and inviting feel to it, from the wooden floors to the cosy fireplace and comfortable seating, everything makes you want to linger longer.
I participated in my very first interactive blind tasting of a variety of Vergenoegd Löw’s red wines and vintages, led by Elsenberg-trained winemaker Vusi Dalicuba. We were asked to guess the cultivar and vintage and then vote for our favourite from the selection of wines tasted. The Merlot 2022 came out tops for me due to the prominent vanilla aromas and smooth mouthfeel.
The full range of Vergenoegd Löw wines can be sampled in the 1773 Homestead on the estate. One unique and very popular option is an indigenous tasting intended to showcase the wines in a whole new light. Wines from the range are offered with local heritage flavours like bokkoms (salt-cured dried fish), biltong (spice-cured meat), amasi (fermented milk, similar to buttermilk) herbs, spices and homemade onion marmalade.
Dine at Two Bertus Basson Vergenoegd Löw Restaurants
As we made our way to Geuwels restaurant, we were delighted with a viewing of the estate’s famously cute Indian Runner ducks. At 09:00 and 12:00 daily, you can watch the ‘duck run’ at Vergenoegd Löw as the Indian Runner ducks keep the pests away. The ducks and Dexter cattle that eat the weeds, keep pests away and fertilise the soils naturally, form part of the farm’s integrated crop management.
Bertus Basson, who celebrates local culinary heritage and produce, has conceived two restaurants on the farm: Geuwels and Clara’s Barn. The gorgeous wall art at Geuwels restaurant is most certainly a great conversation starter and had everyone in awe while snapping photos. Geuwels is a casual eatery serving breakfast and lunch daily and featuring heritage items and local ingredients such as roosterkoek, sour-fig jam, traditional stews and chutneys, bokkoms and local tarts, cakes and confection, not to mention duck eggs. These are familiar, well-loved tastes amongst most South Africans, but they have been reimagined in fresh and original new ways.
Clara’s Barn restaurant is named after Prof Dr Dr Löw’s wife, Clara. It is housed in what in all probability is the oldest building on the farm and is thought to pre-date the 1773 manor house. Clara’s Barn has a daily five-course menu. Here the focus is on nose-to-tail dishes, foraged herbs and mushrooms, vegetables and fruit grown on the farm or by small-scale farmers in the area. The food is also based on inventive re-interpretations of local heritage dishes. All courses can be paired with wines from the farm.
Unwind at the Vergenoegd Löw Boutique Hotel & Spa
The intimate-scale luxury boutique Vergenoegd Löw accommodation has been designed and appointed to inspire a sense of contentment and replenishment. The accent in these varied rooms, suites and cottages is on comfort, ease and privacy, whether catering to couples or families. An exclusive spa, housed in what was once the dairy on the farm, offers a range of wellness treatments, including the hallmark milk bath experience.
Visit www.vergenoegd.co.za for more information. | Tel: +27 21 843 3248 | info@vergenoegd.co.za
