Morgenster Wine and Olive Estate

Just 35 minutes outside of Cape Town you will find Morgenster Wine and Olive Estate, a 300 year old wine estate which was once part of the thriving farm, Vergelegen, and owned by the then Cape Governor Willem Adriaan van der Stel. Van der Stel was recalled in 1708 and the large farm was divided into 4 parts. One of these parts was bought by a French Huguenot who had fled religious persecution in France and was to found his dynasty in the Cape, Jacques Malan. It was Jacques Malan who gave the farm its name, Morgenster meaning Morning Star. 14 years later he handed Morgenster over to his son Daniel, who had a large family with 13 Children. Daniel then left a large, well-furnished house in the traditional H-shape, extensive outbuildings and a well-stocked wine cellar to his son Jacobus in 1711. Morgenster has been praised in the history of Cape Dutch Architecture as one of the finest existing examples of the baroque style in the Cape, with its six perfectly proportioned gables and the front holbol gable, with its delicate scrollwork and scallop shell apex framing the morning star. In 1992 the farm was bought by Giulio Bertrand, who under the guidance of architect Revel Fox, restored Morgenster to its former glory. Today the hillsides boast classic red grape varieties - Merlot, Cabernet sauvignon and Cabernet franc, Petit Verdot and more recently Italian varietals Sangiovese and Nebbiolo as well as olive trees. At harvest time the grapes are picked and taken to the state of the art wine cellar where they are transformed into Morgenster Wines. The scallop-mounted morning star that is visible on the front gable of the homestead has been chosen as the Morgenster logo and can be found on the Morgenster wines, as well as the on the dark glass of their olive oil bottles. Today these labels have not only established themselves in South Africa but also on the international market, being exported to the UK, Europe, North America, Canada, Scandinavia as well as the Far East.

A philosophy that is held in the cellar is that Simplicity rules! And this belief is shared by the owner, Giulio Bertrand and the winemaker, Henry Kotza. They believe that grapes grown in the vineyards, should be picked at full ripeness and be subject to minimum manipulation by the winemaker. The new cellar is able to handle over 300 tons of grapes and the fermentation tanks have been specifically designed for red grape fermentation. The barrel maturation cellar, humidified and air conditioned at a constant 16 degrees Celcius, is geared to carry around 600 barrels.

Morgenster also boasts a range of olive products from the olives themselves to extra virgin olive oil and olive pastes. The olive farm was named "Mill of the Year 2007" - the highest possible accolade for olive producers and in 2008, Morgenster olive oil received an award for the ninth time, which is a clear testimony to the philosophy of , quality at every stage of production.

Morgenster offers both Wine and Olive Product Tasting in their tasting room and ensure that you will enjoy a new wine tasting experience.
They state that they have something new and special for you in their tasting room. Because they design their wines to age well and have some excellent vintages in their cellar, they have installed the technology to let you enjoy their progress over several years.

Morgenster Wine and Olive Estate is open to the public on the following days:
From Monday to Friday: 10:00 to 17:00,
Saturdays and Sundays: 10:00 to 16:00,
And on Public Holidays: 10:00 to 16:00

95@Morgenster info

95 at Morgenster, Giorgio Nava's new world class restaurant with best of both worlds. The new restaurant's menu contains some of the already proven success dishes of 95 Keerom.
95 at Morgenster is the outcome of a partnership between Giorgio Nava and Morgenster Estate, which resulted in the perfect combination of good food with the finest wines. The beautiful natural surroundings of the restaurant top the overall experience.

95 at Morgenster opening times are from
Tuesday - Sunday, 12.00 - 15.30
Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 19.00 - 21.30

95 at Morgenster contact info
Vergelegen Avenue, Off Lourensford Road
7130 Somerset West
Phone : 021 -2047048
Email : info@95atmorgenster.com

For more information on Morgenster Wine and Olive Estate please contact:
Tel: +27-21-8521738
Fax: +27-21-8520835
Or email: info@morgenster.co.za

Physical Address:
Morgenster Estate
Vergelegen Avenue (Off Lourensford Rd)
Somerset West

Directions
From Cape Town to Morgenster Estate
Take N2 from Cape Town past Cape Town National Airport
At Exit 43 take off-ramp to Somerset West
At top of ramp turn left to Somerset West
Approximately 1km later, take right turn at traffic lights to Somerset West (Lord Charles Hotel Tulip is on your left)
At fourth set of traffic lights (approx. 1.5km), take left turn into Lourensford Road
Proceed approx. 3.5km along Lourensford Road and turn right into Vergelegen Avenue, over right into Morgenster Estate between the white pillars. Follow the brick road to the tasting venue winery