{"id":3451,"date":"2024-06-26T07:43:08","date_gmt":"2024-06-26T05:43:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/book.vergenoegd.co.za\/?p=3451"},"modified":"2026-04-09T08:34:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T06:34:42","slug":"growing-with-the-vines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vergenoegd.co.za\/fr\/newsroom\/growing-with-the-vines\/","title":{"rendered":"Growing With The Vines"},"content":{"rendered":"
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2022 Vergenoegd L\u00f6w Lara Cabernet Sauvignon<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis farm is my place of learning, all the time, each new day,\u201d says our winemaker, Vusi (Mvuselelo) Dalicuba<\/a>, judged runner-up at the inaugural 2024 Next Generation Awards sponsored by FedEx Express and convened by Winemag.co.za. The wine, earning the second highest score of 95 points is the 2022 Vergenoegd L\u00f6w Lara Cabernet Sauvignon<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2022 vintage was Vusi\u2019s first on the estate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHere I get to grow with the vines.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Our ongoing vineyard replanting programme<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s referring to our still ongoing vineyard replanting programme that started in 2017 after extensive soil analyses, following the acquisition of our historic estate in 2015 by German investor Prof Dr Dr Peter L\u00f6w<\/a>. Since then, the owner has appointed various specialists to revitalise what is one of South Africa\u2019s oldest working farms, dating back to 1696.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Establishing new vineyards, farming regeneratively in a mixed farm environment, and identifying a new-generation winemaking approach were some of Prof Dr Dr L\u00f6w\u2019s top priorities \u2013 a comprehensive process spearheaded by our managing director Corius Visser and other experts, with Vusi joining the team as viticulturist and winemaker halfway through 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vusi at work in the cellar<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vusi has a Masters in viticulture and oenology from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and was mentored by Lorraine Geldenhuys of Elsenburg Agricultural Training Institute, Beyers Truter of Beyerskloof and Abrie Beeslaar of Kanonkop. Beyers and Abrie proposed him for the new-generation role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, one Sunday in April 2021, I met up with Corius,\u201d he explains. \u201cHe showed me around the cellar, introduced me to people, and then handed me the reins for the day. I had to run the show! Guess I didn\u2019t do too badly as based on that, I got the job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He says what he really loves about wine is that it combines art and science \u2013 both well suited to his personality. \u201cThe one needs the other. Science is the backbone. Art is the beauty. Two sides of the same coin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of the wines made here, in its own way reflects a respect for heritage and for traditional ways of farming, for better vineyard health and sustainability<\/a>. But, infused with fresh, dynamic and progressive thinking. And, by letting nature take the lead in the vineyards, he and the team can give the grapes centre stage in the cellar. Our way is to stand back to let the grapes guide us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have huge respect for Corius and all my colleagues. Here, the learning never stops. We experiment as far and as widely as we can, innovating and exploring with different problem-solving and techniques, discovering different ways to augment traditional winemaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have, for example, introduced slightly cooler fermentation temperatures for greater freshness and to preserve the delicate fruit flavours of our wines.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vusi says each vineyard block is vinified individually to express its distinctive characters. So, fruit from one block might go into open-top fermenters and another into stainless steel tanks. Grapes in open-top fermenters are punched down every two to three hours, while the rack-and-return technique is used for the fermenting fruit in the tanks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter fermentation, we keep the grape must on the skins for five days. The extended skin maceration is for optimal colour stabilisation and to form softer tannins. By the time we take the various red wine components to barrel, they already have a nice juicy, round mouthfeel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe also make use of a special practice that we call \u2018the last drop\u2019. It means when we drain the open fermenter, we leave around one third of the juice on the skins for half-a-day before adding it as another component to the eventual wine. Why? It adds a fuller palate weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur reds spend around 18 months in French oak, 30% in new and the rest in second-, third- and fourth-fill barrels. We then blend from the various barrels. In our experience, intra-varietal blending brings an amazing balance to the final wine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wines grown and made here, all benefit from a relatively cool climate, proximity to the sea and lime-rich soils. You\u2019ll find them elegant, beautifully balanced and refreshing. And, if you don\u2019t give into temptation, they are structured for longevity. So why not think of some for enjoying now and others to put away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Vergenoegd L\u00f6w Homestead Wine Lounge<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our collections of wines are available to taste in a luxurious, serene environment: the Vergenoegd L\u00f6w Homestead Wine Lounge<\/a> in our beautifully restored 1717 manor house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the fireplace ablaze in winter, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere, it really is an idyllic place to sit back, relax and discover our finely crafted red wines at your own pace, with sommelier George Young and his talented team on hand to expertly guide you (or not, if you prefer to taste on your own).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our red wine tasting highlights all our estate reds, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, Malbec and Cape Tawny (a Port-style fortified wine). Click ici<\/a> to book a red wine tasting at Vergenoegd L\u00f6w at R100 per person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wines in the Vergenoegd L\u00f6w range are also served by the glass, in case you\u2019d just like to sip and savour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also offer delicious platters that celebrate local tastes, at R360 per platter (serves two). Or opt for freshly baked roosterkoek<\/em>, at R65 per portion, from Geuwels,<\/a> one of two Bertus Basson restaurants located on our farm. Platters and roosterkoek<\/em> can be ordered between 11:00 and 16:00, from Monday to Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We look forward to hosting you at Vergenoegd L\u00f6w this winter. If you can\u2019t get to us, head over to our wine shop<\/a> and purchase our wines online. We deliver nationwide.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThis farm is my place of learning, all the time, each new day,\u201d says our winemaker, Vusi (Mvuselelo) Dalicuba, judged runner-up at the inaugural 2024 Next Generation Awards sponsored by FedEx Express and convened by Winemag.co.za. The wine, earning the second highest score of 95 points is the 2022 Vergenoegd L\u00f6w Lara Cabernet Sauvignon. The<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3452,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"2022 Vergenoegd L\u00f6w Lara Cabernet Sauvignon Scores 95","_seopress_titles_desc":"Discover the 95-point 2022 Vergenoegd L\u00f6w Lara Cabernet Sauvignon, crafted by award-winning winemaker Vusi Dalicuba on one of South Africa's oldest estates.","_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-3451","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\/3451","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=3451"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vergenoegd.co.za\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3451\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vergenoegd.co.za\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vergenoegd.co.za\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vergenoegd.co.za\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vergenoegd.co.za\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}