Vergelegen means "situated far away", and this Somerset West estate was founded on 1 February 1700 by Governor Willem Adriaan van der Stel. More than three centuries of owners, explorers and gardeners have left their mark. Today it's part working wine farm, part heritage site and part very large garden.
The heritage core is made up of the Homestead, the Library, the ruins of the old water mill, the site of the slave lodge and the gardens around them. The Homestead dates from the 1700s and each room is furnished to reflect the estate's different eras. An exhibition corridor inside tells the story of those periods and the notable visitors the estate has received.
Eighteen gardens is a lot to take in, so give yourself time. You'll find rose gardens, a camphor forest, a wetland boardwalk and centuries-old trees, set around the historic homestead.
The tasting room is open daily and pours four wine ranges. If you'd like to dig deeper, there are cellar tours, heritage and garden tours, and fauna and flora eco-tours.
Plan a slow half day from Green Gables. Bring a hat, and leave time to stroll the gardens once lunch is done.
Getting there from Green Gables
Vergelegen is on Lourensford Road in Somerset West, about 15 minutes' drive from Green Gables.
Hours, entry and house rules
The estate is open every day from 08:30 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:00. It closes on Good Friday and Christmas Day.
Entry is R30 per person, or R10 for pensioners and scholars, and pensioners get in free on Mondays. If you plan to come back often, ask in the tasting room about the yearly "Friends of the Farm" card.
Dogs and bicycles aren't allowed on the farm, and you can't bring your own picnic. Picnics are sold on the estate instead.
The gardens, season by season
The gardens were restored after Anglo American bought the estate in 1987, and the work blends the best of each historic period. The Octagonal Garden was restored first, in 1990. Its herbaceous borders are planted for two seasons, and its David Austin Rose Garden is at its best from October to January, with a second flush in February.
Vergelegen is famous for its old camphor trees. Seedlings from the original "Big Five" have grown into a shady camphor forest, now used for the summer picnics. Look out too for a yellowwood believed to be about 400 years old, reached by a swing bridge near the Riverside Glasshouse.
Different gardens peak at different times. The Agapanthus Garden, with 14,000 plants in 21 varieties, is usually at its best in January. Hydrangeas fill the entrance road in December. In winter (June to August) the Camellia Garden blooms. It's South Africa's only International Camellia Garden of Excellence, one of just 39 in the world.
There's more to find: a wetland garden with a boardwalk and blue water lilies, a maple garden with about 50 varieties near the old mill ruins, an oak arboretum, and two ginkgo saplings grown from a tree that survived the 1945 bombing of Hiroshima.
Eating at Vergelegen
After a fire at the Stables restaurant, the team opened Firehorse, a temporary restaurant in a glass marquee under the oaks, serving Stables favourites and seasonal bistro dishes.
For something lighter, the Rose Terrace Tea Room sits beside a rose garden and serves an ever-changing range of cakes. In summer you can book a white-tablecloth picnic in the camphor forest, and the Creamery next to the picnic kiosk sells homemade ice cream, coffee and baked goods.
Tours and tastings
Cellar tours leave from the tasting room at 11:30 and last about 90 minutes. The octagonal winery sits high on the estate, with views across False Bay to Table Mountain. Heritage and garden tours, with a guide, are also available. Book tours ahead.
Make a day of it
Lourensford is just along the same road, so you can pair Vergelegen's gardens with a tasting or the market there. Idiom's terrace, on the slopes above Somerset West, is another good option for a late lunch with a view.
