Built in 1696, Vergenoegd Wine Estate is famous for its Indian runner ducks which look after the vineyard.
More than a thousand of them pass the lawns in the well-renowned duck parade.
The eco-friendly brace rids the vines of pests like snails and other bugs, so the ducks are also a big part of why Vergenoegd carries WWF (World Wildlife Fund) biodiversity certification.
You can see the duck parade as they are ushered out at 10am, 12.30pm and 3.30pm. The wine estate is off the N2 and is a great setting for their market, music, wine and picnic.
It has had some of South Africa’s top musicians on the bill, including the likes of Ard Matthews, Goodluck and Jimmy Nevis who have performed over the last few months as part of the LIVE@ Summer Concert Series – concerts that have been staged on the first Sunday of each month.
On Sunday, the fifth in the series, sees local rocker Arno Carstens on stage with three support acts.
Carstens is best known for his role as vocalist and frontman for the Springbok Nude Girls.
Carstens has had more than 20 top 10 singles and won five Sama Awards, including Best Rock Album in 2004 for Another Universe and Best Adult Contemporary Album in 2006 for The Hello Goodbye Boys.
During his 20-year career, Carstens has performed with U2, The Rolling Stones, Smashing Pumpkins and R.E.M., to name a few; headlined every major South African music festival; and performed at some of the world’s top international music festivals including Isle of Wight, Glastonbury, V Festival and Hard Rock Calling.
Carstens says” “It’s great to play Cape Town as it’s really cooking with venues and gigs. I’m looking forward to playing Vergenoegd and will be covering some Springbok Nude Girls favourites as well as tracks from my solo albums and a few tribute cover songs from some fallen rock icons.”
Carstens recently released his debut Afrikaans album Die Aandblom 13. Carstens’s message to his fans is, “Come and have an awesome time”.
One of the support acts for Carstens is Namibian-born Savannah, whose rock vocals will wow the crowd.
Savannah said: “I’ve always had music in my blood as my parents are huge music fanatics so I was born and raised around people who love music and that translated into me as well so I picked up a guitar and taught myself to play at the age of 13. From there my music has taken me on a journey of wild and exciting adventures.
“I came down to South Africa to study music full-time, studying music theory, electric guitar and vocals. To wangle my way through Steve Vai and Jimi Hendrix solos was quite a challenge but I loved it.
“My biggest influences are Janis Joplin as I love her vocals and her spirit; Stevie Ray Vaughn is my absolute favourite and Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam”.
Last year Savannah recorded her debut album Be Free, which has been released. Savannah said: “My album is online but it’s great to be able to have a tangible CD in a case as I feel digital downloads are so impersonal”.
She is excited play the opening slot for Carstens and will be playing some new material and some songs from her album. “I love being on stage and It’s quite an honour to support Arno Carstens and the audience will also enjoy the other support artists as they are also great musicians”.
One of those musicians is singer/songwriter Jesse Jordan, who is no stranger to the Helderberg having had extensive national airplay with chart toppers such as There Goes My Mind and Moneyline.
Jordan started writing songs while in school and has since won a national talent competition, received a record deal and recorded four albums.
The other support act is Nelspruit-born Westley Wez , who began learning piano at 10, guitar at 13 and drums by 20. He has since mastered over eight instruments.
Wez’s band, Acoustic Liquid, has produced two albums. Wez has toured SA, UK, Australia, Germany, Namibia, Botswana and Mozambique.
The gates open at 11am. The stage is set up on the lawn where the family can enjoy a chilled, laid back afternoon. For the little ones there is a “kids village” area with a jumping castle run by child minders. The music starts at 12 noon and carried on until 6pm.
Tickets are R120 for adults and R50 for kids under 12.
There’s also the Live@Vergenoegd VIP package including two concert tickets, VIP parking, a view of the stage and comfortable seating.
The VIP package, costing R1 100, includes two bottles of Vergenoegd Runner Duck wine, a selection of food, a 750ml bottle of water and a Vergenoegd blending experience voucher.There will be wine, food and drinks on sale from various vendors (please note that you may not bring you own food or drinks to the concert).
You can also book online and pay at any Pick * Pay store or BP Express shop. Visit www.webticets.co.za site to find the listed stores.
Bring the family for a great outdoor mini concert experience.
Where: Vergenoegd Wine Estate, Baden Powell Drive, Faure, Stellenbosch.