Morgenster offers classy dining befitting Hall of Fame wine credentials

THERE ARE fine-dining tables indoors with artworks on the walls, but the views from the verandah of a reed-lined dam and the Helderberg are difficult to resist! The new restaurant destination on the Somerset West wine route that is 95 at Morgenster is not the place for a simple plate of grub and a glass of any old vino. This is a smart address on Vergelegen Avenue, off Lourensford Road, an Italian collaboration involving the wine and olive estate of Giulio Bertrand and chef Giorgio Nava, whose renowned eateries include Cape Town’s 95 Keerom and the trio of Carne restaurants cum upmarket steakhouses.

Good Italian dishes (Milanese cuisine) with favourites including carpaccio, linefish and meat courses. Really good wines – especially the Bordeaux-style red and white blends, but also an interesting collection made from Italian varieties. Lunch Tuesday to Sunday, dinner Thursday to Saturday. Nowhere else will you find a winelist offering such a spread of Morgenster vintages (eight of the flagship red at the time of writing, including a 16-year-old). And by the glass, not only can you choose from quite a number of different wines that include the very competitively priced ‘Nu Series’ of single varietals from younger vines, but also a number of vintages in pre-selected flights.

The fourth vintage of Morgenster White, the 2014, was recently released and has already received good reviews. Winemaker Henry Kotze says that it has quite a bit more Sauvignon than Semillon and is slightly more elegant than the trophy-winning 2013. Whereas the top Bordeaux-style red blend from the estate continues to show its longevity and age-worthiness, the 2003 among the mature vintages drinking particularly well and the current-release 2011 the ninth vintage of the wine to receive good ratings over the past 10 years – featuring in the Hall of Fame for a couple of years now.

Of the 2014 Morgenster White, the winemaker comments: “Ripe and fresh with notes of verbena, white peach, apricot and jasmine, followed by pineapple, orange flower and stone fruit. Complex, elegant but still powerful. Some citronella zing…” and should pair well with linefish, shellfish, goats’ milk cheese, pasta, pesto and mixed salads.

And as regards the 2003 Morgenser Reserve Red: “Aromas of dark berries, cassis and kirsch, hints of chocolate and mocha… Outstanding mouthfeel… A liquid velvet texture is transformed by a rocky, minerally element… Classic elegance and excellent finish,” says Kotze of the blend comprising Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. “Think rich and bold when looking to match this wine: game, venison, lamb, goats’ milk and mature cheese…”

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Want to have your say?