{"id":3026,"date":"2024-11-15T11:57:39","date_gmt":"2024-11-15T10:57:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/book.vergenoegd.co.za\/?p=3026"},"modified":"2026-04-08T14:50:56","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T12:50:56","slug":"our-george-named-sas-best-young-sommelier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vergenoegd.co.za\/fr\/newsroom\/our-george-named-sas-best-young-sommelier\/","title":{"rendered":"Our George named SA\u2019s Best Young Sommelier"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Best Young Sommelier, George Young<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

George Young, our resident sommelier, has been honoured as the Best Young Sommelier of South Africa 2024 by the expert panel of the South African Sommeliers Association (SASA).<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calm, composed, and a consummate professional, George, who hails from Hoedspruit in Limpopo, demonstrates a quiet commitment and deep passion for sharing the joys of wine. His qualifications include WSET<\/a> Level 3 and a diploma from the Cape Wine Academy.<\/a> His next aim is to achieve the highly regarded Cape Wine Master qualification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

George considers Spencer Fondaumiere, chairman of SASA, and accomplished sommelier Le Roi van de Vyver as his mentors. He views this accolade as the pinnacle of his career so far and credits those who invested their time and expertise in him, teaching him the nuances of the trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI truly enjoy the sense of brother- and sisterhood we share as sommeliers in the Cape wine industry. We all learn from each other \u2013 such a privilege. I\u2019m deeply thankful to every single person who has helped and inspired me along the way, and grateful for the opportunities that honed my skillset. That\u2019s what got me to this point,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For George, the magic of his work lies in forging connections with visitors. From sharing a table with a couple for an entire day to witnessing their delight in discovering new wines, these moments are at the heart of his favourite work experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His true gift, according to his colleagues here at Vergenoegd L\u00f6w (apart from his passion for bodybuilding), is his ability to create memorable experiences for guests. Our estate in Stellenbosch, recently revitalised to its former glory, is the perfect setting for him to showcase his talents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matching the ambitious goals of the farm, George is a valuable team member, contributing equally to the operations of our working farm and our world-class luxury hospitality services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A tasting experience in the Homestead Wine Lounge<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

George leads our Homestead Wine Lounge,<\/a> located in the beautifully restored 1773 manor house. He empowers and encourages his team to attain WSET certifications and specialist sommelier qualifications, helping to advance their careers in wine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI like paying it forward,\u201d he explains. \u201cI\u2019ve experienced firsthand the power of mentorship, so it\u2019s only natural for me to do the same. It brings me great joy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

George singles out Vergenoegd L\u00f6w Amalie Merlot 2022<\/a> as one of his favourites made on the estate. He believes it\u2019s a shining example of the potential of this underrated grape variety in South Africa. This wine was recently won the VinLog Merlot Trophy at the prestigious 2024 Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards.<\/a> It\u2019s made by our talented young winemaker, Vusi Dalicuba.<\/a>Vusi Dalicuba. The 2022 vintage was his first on the farm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As George continues to craft unforgettable experiences at Vergenoegd L\u00f6w, his passion for wine and dedication to excellence shine brightly, inviting visitors to savour every moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visit the farm to meet George and his talented colleagues, and to taste Vusi\u2019s award-winning wines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The estate\u2019s full range can be sampled across various carefully restored Cape Dutch heritage venues. Wines are also served by the glass for those who prefer to sip and enjoy on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a unique option, try the Indigenous Tasting that showcases wines in a whole new light. Six wines from the range are presented with a selection of intriguing local flavours like bokkoms<\/em> (salt-cured dried fish), biltong<\/em> (spice-cured dried meat), amasi<\/em> (fermented milk similar to buttermilk), herbs and spices. The selection is served with roosterkoek<\/em> (griddle cake).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Delicious bountiful platters brimming with local tastes are also available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

View our tasting experience<\/a> options and book your visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re a little more than peckish, check out Geuwels,<\/a> the casual small plates eatery on our farm. Contact<\/a> the restaurant to make you reservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visit Collection Vergenoegd L\u00f6w<\/a> to purchase our award-winning wines online, with convenient delivery across South Africa.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

George Young, our resident sommelier, has been honoured as the Best Young Sommelier of South Africa 2024 by the expert panel of the South African Sommeliers Association (SASA). Calm, composed, and a consummate professional, George, who hails from Hoedspruit in Limpopo, demonstrates a quiet commitment and deep passion for sharing the joys of wine. His<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3027,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Meet George Young, SA's Best Young Sommelier 2024","_seopress_titles_desc":"Meet George Young, Best Young Sommelier of South Africa 2024, crafting unforgettable wine experiences at Vergenoegd L\u00f6w Estate in Stellenbosch.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"_angie_page":false,"page_builder":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vergenoegd.co.za\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vergenoegd.co.za\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vergenoegd.co.za\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vergenoegd.co.za\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vergenoegd.co.za\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3026"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vergenoegd.co.za\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3026\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vergenoegd.co.za\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vergenoegd.co.za\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vergenoegd.co.za\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vergenoegd.co.za\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}