After nearly a decade of meticulous heritage restoration and revitalisation, Vergenoegd Löw, the wine estate in Stellenbosch, has brought the vision of imaginative investor Prof Dr Dr Peter Löw to life.
A German entrepreneur, philanthropist, specialist historian and heritage advocate, he acquired the property in 2015, immediately recognising its cultural and heritage value as one of South Africa’s oldest working farms with a history dating back to 1696. He is also the founder and chief curator of the European Heritage Project (EHP), a portfolio of privately-owned luxury hospitality properties in Germany, Austria, Italy and Malta.
As the newest member of the prestige EHP collection, Vergenoegd Löw has been transformed into a quiet cosmos, a world away from daily pressures. Rich in natural beauty, the setting offers visitors the opportunity and space to relax, refresh and reset in luxury and privacy with a range of fine boutique hospitality, wine, culinary and spa experiences.
The property now operates as an intimate wine tourist destination in an authentic, self-sustaining farm environment that honours the past but presents its rich Cape Dutch heritage in a contemporary way.
Its selection of accommodation options focuses on detailed comfort and knowledgeable but unobtrusive service.
Heritage chef Bertus Basson has conceived two restaurants. Each quite different, they both re-interpret local taste traditions, source from the farm itself or from nearby small-scale suppliers.
Gardens have been landscaped with indigenous flora and punctuated with bold Dylan Lewis sculptures. Guests can amble, walk or jog along the glorious trails and delight in the open skies and views of the mountain.
Vineyards have been replanted after detailed soil analyses, matching each grape variety with its optimal soil type. Vines are grown regeneratively in a mixed farm environment but with access to top-flight technology, so that intervention can be kept to a minimum in the cellars.
Wines
The Vergenoegd Löw collection of wines reflect a balanced, mouth-filling flavour of fruit and an echo of the sea that’s satisfyingly refreshing.
Elsenberg-trained Vusi Dalicuba, assisted by Tamsin Valentine, makes the wines under the leadership of veteran vineyard specialist and managing director Corius Visser.
Their way of winemaking is to “follow the grapes”. The grapes themselves determine the vinification. That’s how the team creates wines of freshness, perfume and graceful elegance, but also fine-structured longevity.
Many of the red wines in the range are named after the children of Löw.
Cellar-door tastings
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, biltong, amasi. herbs, spices and homemade onion marmalade.
Two restaurants
Basson, who celebrates local culinary heritage and produce, has conceived two restaurants on the farm, Geuwels and Clara’s Barn.
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’s eggs. These are familiar, well-loved tastes among most South Africans, but they have been reimagined in fresh and original new ways.
Clara’s Barn is named after 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.
The restaurant 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.
The Vergenoegd Löw Boutique Hotel & Spa
The intimate-scale luxury boutique 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.
Famous Indian Runner ducks
At 09:00 and 12:00 daily, guests can watch the Indian Runner ducks keep the pests away and see them waddling across the werf on their way to work in the vineyards. Together with the Dexter cattle that eat the weeds, they keep pests away and fertilise the soils naturally and form part of the farm’s integrated crop management.
Stellenbosch pedigree and regenerative agriculture
The estate forms part of Stellenbosch, the country’s best-known wine district, and belongs to the Helderberg Wine Route.
After extensive soil analyses, new vines have been established, beginning in 2017. Capitalising on the proximity to False Bay and the relatively cool climate, the team has planted over 50 ha planted to reds (75%) and whites (25%). Cabernet sauvignon, merlot, chardonnay and semillon are the leading varieties.
As the farm lies on an ancient marine bed it is dense with sea fossils. Unusually for Stellenbosch, some of the soils are rich in lime.
The estate is a World Wildlife Fund champion, recognised for eco-sustainable farming and conservation of indigenous habitat.
- For more information visit vergenoegd.co.za.
