Novice experimental wine-maker nabs award
Winemaker at the Vergenoegd Löw wine farm, Vusi Dalicuba, says he is overcome with emotion after his recent award.
Vusi’s Vergenoegd Löw Amalie Merlot 2022 won the Michelangelo International Wine and Spirits Award.
“It’s overwhelming because it’s one of my first awards as a winemaker especially because 2022 was my first actual harvest at the farm. So, it’s very overwhelming to see the potential of the farm and where it’s going and to also get recognition for the quality of wine that we’re producing. It’s a good feeling,” he says.
As Vusi speaks his beaming smile is visible — a sure expression of the innate joy he finds in winemaking.
The young winemaker, originally from Khayamandi, Stellenbosch, initially though winemaking was a just a hobby and had no concept of the inner workings of a wine farm. Now, he has discovered the industry was not only an outlet for his passion but also an area he could excel in.
As a pupil he had great interest in hands-on, practical professions and considered a career in mechanical engineering. However, a subject change at the school to Maths literacy in matric altered his tertiary options. In a search for alternative careers agriculture sparked his interest.
“I had to venture into something new and this led to agriculture because I know in agriculture you are much more hands-on, as you are a farmer working in the field, farming whether with crops or animals.”
He obtained his Masters in viticulture and oenology at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) and thereafter participated in mentorship programmes which he loved and learnt so much about the industry at the Elsenburg Agricultural Training Institute, Beyers Kloof and Kanonkop wine farms.
Since starting at Vergenoegd Löw in 2021, Vusi says he has been on an exhilarating journey.
“I am hands-on, from the vineyards to the bottle. It’s been a good journey because we are working with young vines which are coming into production, so we get to experiment a lot.”
He says in experimentation they leave no stone unturned.
In an environment strongly focussed on sustainability, his winemaking duties are done within the structure of innovative concepts built on regenerative agriculture practices.
He elaborates more on how they introduced the use of Dexter cattle to graze on the cover crops as part of the pest management, alongside the pest control Indian runner ducks, which he says, they fondly call, “their soldiers” and says these are only some of the environmentally friendly farming methods implemented at the farm.
This innovative winemaker, who personally tastes the grapes of each block during the ripening process, says the grapes are his daily source of inspiration.
For him the most enjoyable part of the winemaking process is the blending as this is where the wine and science get to work together in synchrony.
“I always say winemaking involves art and some science. The art is in the blending, but science is able to analyse and break down the scientific components of the wine, so when you do your blending, you have a fuller understanding to sensory evaluate the wine.”
Workdays as a winemaker is demanding but jogging on the farm twice daily keeps him centred.
“As a winemaker you don’t get to rest until the wine is in a bottle.”
In answer to what has been some of the challenges on his winemaking journey Vusi says he always regards challenges as opportunities.
His advice to aspiring young winemakers is to have an eagerness to learn and to go beyond their limits. He further advises them to develop and train their sensory skills.
Under the guidance of his managing director, Corius Visser and his team, Vusi says his future goals include taking the farm to new heights.
“This farm was known in the early and late 70’s as one of the best producing farms especially of cabernet and merlot so for me in the next 5-to-10 years I would like to see the farm setting up to that standard again and once again being recognised in the industry as one of the best producing farms in South Africa.”
