Vergelegen Avenue, Off Lourensford Road, Somerset West, 7130.
P O Box 1616, Somerset West 7129, Western Cape, South Africa.
Telephone 021 852 1738, fax 021 852 0835
Email: info@morgenster.co.za Web: www.morgenster.co.za

Giulio Bertrand

When Giulio Bertrand took ownership of Morgenster Estate, situated in the heart of the Cape winegrowing region in Somerset West, in 1992 during his supposed retirement, he was inspired by the natural beauty of the farm and began dreaming of the olive groves and rolling vineyards of his native Piedmont.  Giulio Bertrand – industrialist, yachtsman and conservationist – is so self-effacing that he prefers to talk about his oil rather than himself. But he admits to a love of South Africa, instilled during regular business trips from Italy, which have enticed him to spending nine months of the year in the Cape.

Morgenster Olive Groves

Since Giulio’s acquisition of Morgenster the place has undergone an agricultural transformation and become a producer not only of three of the most sublime wines to come out of the Cape of Good Hope in recent years but a benchmark olive tree nursery and the provenance of a range of olive oils and olive products produced in the style of Giulio’s homeland, Italy.  And when Italians do things seriously, they do them to the outer limits of perfection.  In Giulio’s words, “where there is passion, there is no compromise.”

Morgenster Liquid Gold

The Morgenster Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a blend of the oils of a variety of different olives grown specifically for their oils.  I tasted the individual Leccino oil prior to blending of the 2006 vintage, delicious peppery green and gently bitter and all I thought of was some rocket, lemon squirt, salt and pepper to make the most perfect of salads.

The final blend is bemedalled and becrowned with international awards.  Amongst them the Orciolo d’Oro from Italy where it was the first South African olive oil to receive the prestigious L’Orciolo d’Oro award. This Italian challenge was opened to foreign producers for the first time in 1999. The Morgenster Extra Virgin Olive Oil received the L’Orciolo d’Oro award in 2006 for the eighth consecutive year.

The oil has also won a gold medal from the Los Angeles County Fair.  It’s been rated “Best of Southern Hemisphere” by South African consumers as the finest Olive Oil, and “Oil of the Year” in the Southern Hemisphere New Season Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition in Australia in September 2003.  It was also judged to be The Best Blended Olive Oil in the world – judged from 3000 entries in an open competition held in Italy – L’Extravergine earlier this year.

Lemon Olive Oil

The Morgenster Lemon Enhanced Olive Oil is made by infusing lemon rind in the oil before the final blend to add an extra flavour dimension making it, in well known Cape Town chef Peter Goffe Wood’s words “a perfect accompaniment to seafood and poultry dishes, and adds a delicious zing to salad dressings.”

White Truffle Olive Oil

Morgenster’s White Truffle Flavoured Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a blend of the Estate’s oil with white truffles from Piedmont, Italy – a true classic.  My best way of using it is to trickle it over cooked homemade pasta with fried sage leaves, and to enhance a risotto.  But it needs to be used sparingly like a fine French perfume.

Morgenster Black Olive Paste

We are very fond of the Morgenster Black and Green Olive Pastes made from the Estates choice olives, blended with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt.  Packed in 130g jars, they contain no preservatives and are ideal for spreading on bruschetti to serve as an appetiser or underneath grilled goat’s cheese with a swirl of oil on top or just stirred onto hot home-made pasta with curls of Parmiggiano Reggiano taken off with a potato peeler.

Morgenster Green Olives

Morgenster bottles excellent olives for the table.  The olives are sorted by hand by trained staff to ensure only the best fruit is used.  Kalamata Olives which are renowned as being the finest black table olive – large and fleshy with its distinctive flavour and small pip.  The green olives are Nocellara del Belice Olives from Sicily, an olive the Italians love to eat.  We just loved them whole with their lovely crunchy texture and ‘creamed nuts’ taste.

Says owner Giulio Bertrand: “It became my dream to produce the very best extra virgin olive oil at Morgenster, and now I am really fortunate to be able to witness those dreams coming to fruition.”

This is a clear testimony to the Morgenster philosophy of quality from olive grove to the table.

The Morgenster Olive Product Range is available at selected Delicatessens, Caterix, Pick ‘n Pay, Spar and Shoprite Checkers stores in the Western Cape, greater Johannesburg, Bloemfontein and the Eastern Cape. Soon to be available in Natal and the Lowveld.