Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
BIANCA COLEMAN
Watch the ducks do their work on Vergenoegd wine farm, writes
black. They’re not the prettiest ducks you’ll ever see, but oh my word, they are adorable.
Other farms use ducks for pest control but none at this level. Vergenoegd has been refining the practice since 1984 and has a basic research and breeding programme in place to keep the ducks productive, healthy and happy. If you want to learn more you can take a tour of their pens and breeding room with duck farmer Denzel Matthys, who is fondly known on the farm as Mr D.
The ducks head out to work at 9.45am and return at 3.30pm, at which times you can see them in all their glory, quacking and waddling in front of the manor house.
To call this cute is the understatement of the day. And no, they are never used for the table; their muscular physique makes them unsuitable for the pot.
Other things to do at Vergenoegd include tastings of five wines for R35, picnics and platters, blending experiences, and Harvest Table lunches.
In addition to wine blending, which you kind of expect on a wine farm, you can try your hand at mixing olive oil, tea or coffee. We did the olive oil one, in which we tasted three different varieties and were then guided through a blending process. It was fairly structured and our host Palesa Matlala was a bit thrown when I went rogue and wanted to blend more than two and in varying percentages.
She was a bit flustered because at the end of the lesson you have the option of buying an already prepared bottle of oil (or wine), and don’t actually get to take home your own personal blend, even though it is labelled with the name of your choice. Same with the tea and coffee. It’s a logistical thing, but I would have preferred making my own. The blending experiences start from R95, excluding the product.
Ryan Shell, formerly of Haute Cabriere, is the chef at the newly revamped Vergenoegd. He proudly showed us his kitchen and told us about his picnic baskets and plans for the future. For now, the picnic baskets are available to visitors to enjoy on the lawns under the oak trees (plenty of running around space for the children while they wait for the ducks), with or without Runner Duck wine. Yes, they even have a wine named after them. Children’s Duckling Delight picnics are packed with healthy snacks and treats, with juice or ice tea (which is made on the farm) and the option of an activity pack.
Until the end of next month, Harvest Table lunches will be offered on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from noon till about 3pm. This is a long communal 20-seater table where three courses are served on platters to share with friends and strangers who will soon become friends, along with wine, water and coffee. We feasted on things like salmon mousse roulade, coffeecrusted rare wildebeest, kabeljou cooked in foil, pork belly, root vegetables, creamy mashed potato, baked aubergine and for dessert individual lemon sorbets, cheese and preserves and a decadent chocolate cake with strawberries and cream. The cost of R350 a person includes a blending experience of your choice.
● Just opposite the Cape Town Film Studios off the N2 (where Black Sails is being filmed), Vergenoegd is the first wine estate on the R301 side of the Stellenbosch Wine Routes, offering easy access to visitors from Cape Town and Somerset West. See www.vergenoegd.co.za, call 021 843 3248, or email reservations@ver genoegd.co.za to make a booking.