Standing in front of the five ancient camphor trees, it’s hard not to feel a sense of permanence about Vergelegen, which was founded in 1700, even as change comes to this stalwart Cape brand.
When Luke O'Cuinneagain was announced as Vergelegen’s new winemaker in the summer of 2022, the news was met with warmth, and a sigh of relief. The imminent departure of André van Rensberg, due to owner Anglo-American’s retirement policy, was always going to be a challenge for the estate. But the appointment of O’Cuinneagain, widely respected for his achievements at Glenelly, was something of a coup. “We were all surprised when he left,” one fellow winemaker remarked. “That was a job for life.”
Vergelegen has always been fuelled by ambition – Wilhelm Adrian van der Stel, son of Simon, sought to build an estate so grand it would eclipse his father’s Groot Constantia. Yet perhaps it’s a sign of O’Cuinneagain’s own ambition that he has agreed to take on one of the biggest names in South Africa’s winemaking history.
A contemporary perspective
Standing on the Schapenberg overlooking False Bay, it’s clear that O’Cuinneagain is not the kind of winemaker who shrugs off broader questions about the estate with a casual ‘I just make the wines’. His influence extends across every aspect of Vergelegen, from viticulture to winemaking to branding.
His first major move was to release long-term consultant Michel Rolland – “a cost-cutting measure”, he says, somewhat unconvincingly. The next steps involved reassessing vineyard and cellar practices while guiding van Rensberg’s final vintages through élevage.
O’Cuinneagain and viticulturalist Ruldolf Kriel have also expanded the program to stop the use of pesticides. “Now we deploy natural predators using drones,” he explains. “We’re identifying hotspot areas and increasing predator density there.”
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