Our young South African winemaker of the future, Vusi Dalicuba, who has won a host of awards this season, laughs at the idea of Veni, Vidi, Vici (I came, I saw, I conquered) said by Julius Caesar after his victory at the Battle of Zela in 47 BCE.
“Sure, I showed up,” says the 31-year-old, mentored by internationally acclaimed Abrie Beeslaar, a three-time International Wine & Spirit Competition Winemaker of the Year.
“And most certainly I saw and continue to see, as I learn from Abrie and Vergenoegd Löw MD Corius Visser, a veteran Stellenbosch viticulturist. But conquer? This isn’t a battle. It’s an affirmation that as a team we’re gladdening palates. What we’re doing is a work in progress.”
Award-winning South African wines from Stellenbosch-by-the-Sea
It’s been a remarkable season for Vergenoegd Löw, one of the most innovative Stellenbosch wine estates, producing award-winning South African wines.
Just weeks after winning a trophy and being announced as a national winner for our estate’s prestige 2023 Family Collection Ottilie Malbec at this year’s SA Terroir Wine Awards, Vusi learned that Vergenoegd Löw’s 2023 Amalie Merlot landed a best-in-class trophy at the 2025 Global Fine Wine Challenge. The by invitation-only, five-way contest involves wines from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, the US and Canada. Known in the industry as the Grand Prix of wine competitions, it limits entries to no more than 120 wines in total from each participating country.
“All entries submitted have already been awarded in their home countries. Consequently, this is where the best-of-best compete against each other, so every win carries enormous significance,” explains Corius proudly.
He makes the point that the most recent wins cover a spectrum of Vergenoegd Löw wines, both red and white – all coastal Stellenbosch wines – underscoring the benefits our farm’s total vineyard replanting project begun in 2017, with just over 50 ha now under cultivation. “Although our focus is predominantly red, every variety has been carefully matched with location, making the most of the lime-rich and ancient, marine fossil-flecked soils and the proximity to the sea, less than 5 km away.
“We call our location Stellenbosch-by-the-Sea to amplify the imprint of the cooling ocean winds. Apart from keeping our vines disease-free, the winds bring down ambient temperatures, slowing ripening to concentrate flavours while locking in acidity, giving us wines of purity, balance, structure and length.”
That also explains why the team refers to “merroir”, literally a blend of sea (mer) and terroir.
That the vines are yielding outstanding quality fruit is borne out by accolades being garnered across a variety of competitive platforms, says Corius. The 2025 Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, recently won the trophy for the best wooded Cabernet Sauvignon at the 2025 SA Young Wine Show. It beautifully showcases premium Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon quality.
The portfolio also showed extremely well at this year’s Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards, taking platinum for the 2022 Maximillian, Bordeaux-style red blend; double gold for the same 2023 Malbec that excelled at the SA Terroir Wine Awards, and golds for the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2024 Chardonnay and 2025 Sauvignon Blanc.
The victories highlight our estate’s success in regenerative wine farming in South Africa.
Regenerative, sustainable Stellenbosch vineyards
“I’m happy,” says Vusi, who is active in both the vineyards and the cellar. “It feels great when our hard work earns recognition. We take a hands-on, labour-intensive approach in the vineyards, where literally every single vine gets attention, so that by the time the grapes reach the cellar, they can cue us as to how they should be best vinified. Put it this way: the heavy lifting happens in the vineyards, so we can apply the lightest touch in the cellar.”
He believes the estate’s regenerative farming protocols play a key role in fruit quality. “Healthy soils give us healthy vines with healthy fruit in beautiful flavour, sugar and acid balance.”
Vergenoegd Löw, a leading regenerative and biodiverse wine estate in South Africa, maintains the largest herd of Dexter cattle on any Western Cape wine farm. We also keep sheep, a variety of poultry, including our famous Indian Runner ducks, as part of our natural fertilization and integrated pest management programmes. And we grow seasonal cover crops and insectary plants to build biodiversity, biomass, enhance soil structure and improve moisture-holding capacity. These are principles that make Vergenoegd Löw a leader in sustainable wine farming.
Taste the triumphs at Vergenoegd Löw
Taste the triumphs of this rising star winemaker. Explore our Stellenbosch Malbec for sale, or buy South African Merlot online and experience our coastal Stellenbosch wines for yourself.
All wines are available from the estate, specialist retailers, or online at vergenoegd.co.za.
Spend R2 500 or more to join the Vergenoegd Löw Heritage Circle, our exclusive Stellenbosch wine club. Members enjoy discounts on wines and restaurant bills, as well as priority booking for wine tasting in Stellenbosch and Stellenbosch wine estate concerts.
Learn more about the Heritage Circle and start your journey with one of the most dynamic Stellenbosch wine estates today.
