Vergenoegd Löw is a wine estate at Faure, off the R310 on the Stellenbosch Wine Route, and its stars are the Indian Runner ducks. They arrived on the farm in 1989, and they patrol the vineyards to keep snails and insects in check, so the estate can farm its vines without chemical pesticides.
Twice a day, at 09:00 and 12:00, the flock heads off to work. The ducks waddle past the historic manor house and across the Homestead grounds on their way to the vineyards, and sometimes stop for a quick swim on the way. It costs nothing to watch and there's no need to book. The parade lasts around 15 to 30 minutes.
The farm itself is one of the oldest in the country. Land here was granted to Pieter de Vos in 1696, and it has been farmed ever since. Vergenoegd is Dutch for "to be content". The estate sits on an ancient marine bed less than 5 km from the sea, and its lime-rich soils and cool sea breezes give the wines a coastal character the estate calls "merroir".
Geuwels is the estate's restaurant, serving small-plate lunches every day on the terrace or inside the historic walls. If you time lunch with the noon parade, you can watch the ducks from right beside the restaurant.
Getting there from Green Gables
Vergenoegd Löw is at 1 Faure Village Road near Faure, off the R310, roughly 20 minutes' drive from Green Gables.
Watching the duck parade
The ducks pass between the Homestead and Geuwels Restaurant, so either is a good place to watch from, or you can stand on the lawns. The estate keeps a large flock, numbering in the hundreds, alongside Dexter cattle that graze and fertilise the soil.
To keep the ducks safe, pets are strictly not allowed on the estate, so leave your dog at home for this one.
Lunch at Geuwels
Geuwels is in the 18th-century Cape Dutch building that was once the cellar. Its name is Dutch for "gables", after an original gable uncovered during restoration that you can still see inside. The menu is led by the wines and by what the farm produces: hand-reared meat, farm butter and eggs, seasonal vegetables and honey. Chef Michelle Theron, named one of South Africa's top ten women chefs in 2021, leads the kitchen.
Lunch is served daily from 11:30 to 15:00. Start with bread, a platter or the bokkom salad, then choose a brasserie-style main, which comes with a glass of estate wine for R350 at the time of writing. On Sundays, the Sunday Celebrations lunch brings generous sharing platters to the table. There is also an Indigenous Tasting that pairs South African heritage ingredients with the estate's wines, and a children's menu.
Breakfast, tastings and the Homestead
If you'd like breakfast with the 09:00 parade, book a table at the Homestead. The beautifully restored 1773 manor house serves a farm-to-table breakfast every day from 08:00 to 12:00, by reservation only, with front-row seats for the ducks.
The Homestead also serves seasonal dinners by the fire from 16:00 to 21:00, and hosts the Farm Tea Experience, a leisurely afternoon of Cape teas, rooibos and honeybush, and sweet and savoury farm bakes.
For wine without a meal, the Wine Lounge offers tastings and platters every day from 10:00 to 17:00.
Timing your visit
For the noon parade, arrive a little early so you're parked and settled before the ducks set off, then go straight into lunch at Geuwels. Book ahead, especially on weekends and for the Homestead breakfast.
Make a day of it
Continue north on the R310 to Spier and Stellenbosch for an afternoon in the Winelands, then have dinner at Veld.
