Telling intriguing taste tales through indigenous food and wine pairing
A one-of-a-kind wine & food pairing in Stellenbosch
What do you get when you take indigenous ingredients and match them with stories of who first used them, how and why, and then pair them with top-rated wines shaped by the nearby ocean?
At Vergenoegd Löw, the answer comes to life through a deeply immersive Indigenous Food & Wine Pairing experience in Stellenbosch. Seven dishes, seven wines and seven stories connect heritage, flavour and place in ways that feel both rooted and refreshingly new.
Rooted in restoration and guided by Chef Michelle Theron, our farm’s harvest inspires the fresh, seasonal menus at our award-winning restaurants.
A new chapter of our Indigenous Tasting experience
When Michelle Theron joined our luxury Stellenbosch wine estate as in-house head of gastronomy, she recognised an opportunity to transform the earlier Indigenous Tasting into something more layered and expressive.
Her vision was clear. She wanted to pay homage to overlooked indigenous ingredients, revive them with inventive culinary touches and remind South Africans and international visitors alike of the remarkable treasure trove of flavours found right here at home.
The result is a fully reimagined Indigenous Food & Wine Pairing. Each bite features at least one indigenous ingredient, thoughtfully paired with estate wines that are expressive, food-friendly and deeply connected to their environment.
Chef Michelle Theron has reimagined our Indigenous Food & Wine Pairing to celebrate overlooked South African ingredients through inventive, story-led dishes.
Merroir: Where sea meets terroir
The wines of Vergenoegd Löw are grown and crafted on the estate by our award-winning winemaker Vusi Dalicuba. They are expressive of their unique location near the Atlantic Ocean, a defining characteristic we like to call merroir.
A mashup of mer, meaning sea, and terroir, merroir reflects:
- Salt-laden maritime winds that cool the vines
- Slower ripening that concentrates flavour
- Natural disease resistance from ocean breezes
- A distinctive freshness and minerality in the wines
The coastal influence is unmistakable. There’s a brightness, a structure and a quiet intensity that makes the wines exceptionally food-friendly.
Just as a little stress builds character in people, these coastal conditions shape vines with resilience and personality. That same resilience echoes in the indigenous ingredients that have sustained South Africans for generations.
Our vineyards are shaped by maritime influence, with ocean-cooled conditions contributing freshness, structure and a distinctive sense of place in every wine.
Indigenous ingredients reimagined
What sets this Stellenbosch wine tasting experience apart is the storytelling through food. Each ingredient carries history, from foraging traditions to preservation methods developed for leaner times.
Spekboom (Portulacaria afra)
Often known as pork bush, elephant tree or dwarf jade, spekboom is widely celebrated for its carbon-capturing properties and medicinal uses. For centuries, crushed leaves have soothed skin irritations and sunburn.
On the plate, however, it tells a different story.
Michelle Theron uses spekboom in a vibrant salad dressing, as a tangy chutney and even folded into a brownie where its fruitiness offsets deep chocolate richness. Crisp, juicy and unexpectedly delicious, it becomes a culinary revelation rather than simply a sustainability symbol.
Spekboom brings brightness, texture and unexpected versatility to the table, appearing in everything from chutney to dessert.
Other indigenous ingredients featured
The pairing also celebrates a range of other indigenous ingredients, each thoughtfully reinterpreted:
- Bokkoms, that are salted and dried harders (Chelon richardsonii), a near-shore fish that Theron uses as an anchovy alternative in a re-interpretation of a classic Caesar salad
- Roosterkoek made from a special sourdough recipe and roasted over open coals
- Kaiings, the crackling or rinds from pork, sheep or beef, adding a rich umami layer
- Amasi, traditional fermented milk
- Biltong made from eco-grazing Dexter cattle raised on the estate
- Kei apple, delivering an electric tang to both sweet and savoury dishes
Most cured fish, meats, breads, pastries, cheeses, jams and preserves are produced in-house, reinforcing the estate’s farm-to-table ethos.
From vegetables and herbs to beef, lamb, poultry, eggs, milk, cheese and honey, the produce is regeneratively grown and raised on the farm. When ingredients are sourced externally, they come from local small-scale suppliers who share the same commitment to soil health and sustainability.
From bokkoms and roosterkoek to kaiings, amasi, biltong and Kei apple, indigenous ingredients are reinterpreted with creativity and respect.
Seven dishes, seven wines, seven stories
This is far more than a standard wine tasting in Stellenbosch. It is a curated culinary narrative.
Highlights include:
- Cured yellowtail with roosterkoek and Kei apple preserve, paired with the estate’s Cap Classique Blanc de Blanc made from Chenin Blanc
- Kaiing pastry and prosciutto served with Chardonnay
- Dexter beef carpaccio with spekboom chutney paired with Merlot
Each pairing has been designed to showcase the versatility and food-friendliness of the wines while creating surprising contrasts in texture and flavour. The dishes balance familiarity with innovation, while remaining grounded in local culinary heritage.
Seven dishes, seven wines and seven stories come together in a tasting that celebrates flavour, heritage and the expressive character of our estate wines.
A luxury wine experience rooted in heritage
Staff are specially trained to guide guests through the tasting and share as much historical, culinary and wine detail as desired. This interaction adds depth and transforms the experience into something memorable and meaningful.
For those searching for unique wine tastings in Stellenbosch, indigenous South African cuisine or a luxury farm-based hospitality experience with real substance, this pairing delivers on every level.
Behind the scenes, our team prepares each course with precision and care, ensuring every element of the Indigenous Food & Wine Pairing is thoughtfully presented and seamlessly delivered.
Book our Indigenous Food & Wine Pairing in Stellenbosch
To explore all seven dishes and wines at R400 per head, visit: vergenoegd.co.za/wine-tastings.
For a Stellenbosch food and wine experience that connects past and present, land and sea, tradition and creativity, this is where the story unfolds.