When winemaker Vusi Dalicuba talks about his vineyards on the southern outskirts of the Stellenbosch winelands, he loves to wax lyrical about the Faure soils of Vergenoegd Löw as much as the sea breezes that waft in from False Bay, just a few kilometres away. “Merroir” is how this award-winning young winemaker dubs that interplay of land and air, a maritime twist on the French “terroir” that encapsulates the soul of a vineyard.
And this year, a breath of fresh False Bay air is blowing through the kitchens of Vergenoegd Löw too, as Michelle Theron takes the reins of an estate with a long history and a bright future.
I first met Theron in 2014, when she was the newly appointed chef de cuisine at Pierneef à La Motte in the Franschhoek valley. From our first meeting she was a livewire, buzzing with energy, and she quickly grew a reputation — and a loyal following — for her contemporary take on heritage cuisine. A decade on and she’s lost none of that passion, as we sit beneath the oaks at Vergenoegd Löw for her to lay out her vision for the farm’s kitchens. She’s so carried away with enthusiasm and ideas, her coffee is long cold by the time she’s finished talking.
“I’ve always been on wine farms. It’s my thing; I love it,” says Theron. “And I’ve always loved traditional food, because I think we as chefs need to celebrate where we come from and what our heritage is. And that’s what they wanted to do here, with proper farm-to-table food. We’ve got the beef, we’ve got the herbs, we’ve got the chickens. They want to celebrate what the farm produces.”
The transformation of Vergenoegd Löw in the last decade has been remarkable. While once famous largely for its flock of vineyard-snail-eating runner ducks (still a popular feature each day), in 2015 the farm was bought by German businessman and philanthropist Professor Dr Dr Peter Löw from the Faure family, who had owned it for nearly two centuries. As part of his European Heritage Project, he set about rejuvenating and reinventing; repairing buildings, replanting vineyards and imagining a new future for this historic farm, which dates back to 1693. A boutique hotel opened in December 2022, followed by six freestanding luxury cottages in 2024.
The latest development has been to bring the estate kitchens — once run by Bertus Basson and his team of chefs — in-house, with Theron in charge.
The first change has been to move the tasting room from the original manor house to Geuwels, the daytime restaurant set in and around the original wine cellar. Here, under the oaks or in a cosy yet elegant lounge, Dalicuba’s wines — don’t miss the cabernet sauvignon, made in a lighter style than before — are poured within sight of the vineyards.
And you’ll be hard-pressed to finish your tasting and not be tempted to wander over and ask for a table at Geuwels. Named for the gables that add a flourish to the old cellar building, the restaurant has been given a wonderful refresh both inside and out. New decking lifts the tables above the wonky flagstones, while the indoor seating blends gorgeous banquettes and organic tones with a wide fireplace and cellar views.
On the menu, Theron leans into South African cuisine, with a brasserie-style menu rooted in South Africa and the estate. Goose croquettes — Theron avoids using duck, for obvious reasons — are from flocks on the farm. The Caesar salad gets a local twist with West Coast bokkoms instead of anchovies, while old-fashioned frikkadels of Merino lamb from the farm come wrapped in cabbage on a mash of heirloom white beans.
“It’s a play on a very traditional dish that I grew up with, and I love to share it with guests,” says Theron. “I’m very big on the indigenous ingredients that we also get on the farm, so I work with a lot of fynbos in all the menus that we do.”
A humble chicken pie is elevated with traditional copper pots and farm-grown herbs, while salad dressings feature indigenous herbs from the estate.
Dalicuba’s “merroir” concept comes into play on the menu too. The brasserie vegetable broth is infused with kombu dashi for a note of salinity and umami, but perhaps most memorable is the roosterkoek bread course, where flavour notes of bokkom, seasoned salts and estate olive oil fuse together food, wine and place.
There’s a sense of abundance, long a thread in Theron’s cooking, here, both on the brasserie menu and the “home-style” set menu offered on Sundays and designed to be shared across the table.
While Geuwels is all about wineland dining that is relaxed yet refined, Clara’s Barn — which is being refurbished and will reopen in autumn 2026 — will see her raise the bar a little higher, all while staying away from endless tasting menus.
“It’s definitely not going to be a whole three-hour spiel,” says Theron with a laugh. “I want people to enjoy an elevated taste of South African cuisine — my way — without feeling overwhelmed or exhausted by long-winded experiences.”
Instead, Theron plans a “menu for the day”, with flourishes of flavour and a sense of occasion, all woven through with the story of the farm.
“I’ve realised that this farm guides you to what you need to do. It keeps it interesting for us. Come here for a quick breakfast, enjoy a wine tasting, have a great lunch. On Sundays, come have a Sunday lunch. There’s something for everyone,” says Theron, who is also planning afternoon tea and indigenous flavour tastings. “I want guests to walk out of here and really feel like they understand the story of the farm. And for me as a chef, if I can be part of something like that, then I feel what I’m doing has meaning.”
