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DEAR FRIENDS 

February has been an exciting time on my farm. Once more I had the very good pleasure of crushing a pomegranate as a symbolic blessing on 29 January to mark the start of our grape harvest – my 19th at Morgenster. The pomegranate was an old method of testing whether the grapes were ready to be harvested – if the juice ran red and clear, they said, in the old times, that the grapes were ready. Each year in his speech Henry tells us that he is very grateful to have some new, more scientific ways of telling whether the fruit is ready to start its journey to become a Morgenster wine. It’s an ancient Greek tradition which is symbolic of fruitfulness and good luck. 

This year, for the first time Morgenster took part in the AfrAsia Bank Cape Wine Auction which raised R15m for various education projects in the Cape Winelands. If you like to see some of the projects that the money from this auction supports, you can click here. This year, the Friday night event on 12 February was a little different and we were one of 20 farms invited to present a barrel tasting and to donate 10 cases each containing 12 bottles to auction. We selected our Italian Collection Nabucco 2014. Nebbiolo, the grape of kings, is an unusual variety in South Africa with very few local producers, and so we anticipated a good response. It was a grand event and it was good to see the bidders try to secure a case of the most exclusive wine produced by some of the Cape's top winemakers.

Till next time,

Ciao!
Giulio

FROM HENRY IN THE WINECELLAR

My comment about harvesting Cabernet Franc for our sparkling wine that I slipped into last month's newsletter drew interested fire from observant readers! Yes, indeed, Morgenster's first bubbles, made by the Methode Cap Classique, are still lying on the lees ahead of their release late this year. For the second production we selected three times as many grapes as we did last year; so I guess that tells you that we like what we have seen so far of our new project. We’ll keep you posted.

FROM THE OLIVE CELLAR

"Lots of heat, little rain", says Corius, our Farm Manager, about conditions in the orchards leading up to olive harvest. "Olive trees cope well with dryness. We are watching very closely and only irrigate where necessary. We already know it’s going to be a great crop. The fruit is looking good and we are excitedly waiting for the trees to signal that they are ready for picking".

SMOKED SALMON AND CREAM CHEESE ON RYE

It’s all about creating a beautiful picture on the plate. Executive Chef at Le Franschhoek Hotel and Spa, Scott Shepherd, shares his delicious and healthy recipe for Smoked salmon and cream cheese on rye.
 

  

Tel: +27.218521738
Fax: +27.218520835
Email: info@morgenster.co.za
Website: www.morgenster.co.za
P.O. Box 1616, Somerset West, 7129, South Africa