Morgenster Estate

Morgenster sits at the foot of the Helderberg Mountains in Somerset West, its name — meaning "morning star" in Dutch — reflecting the eastward orientation of a property first granted to French Huguenot Jacques Malan in 1711. For nearly three centuries the farm passed through various owners, but its modern identity was forged by a single visionary: Italian-born industrialist Giulio Bertrand, who acquired the estate in 1992.

Bertrand came from Biella, an important wool-processing centre in the Piedmont region of north-west Italy. Four generations of his family had been involved in textiles, with factories in South Africa, the United States, and across Italy. His travels to South Africa began in 1975, and after decades of business and conservation work in the country, Bertrand saw in Morgenster the opportunity to create something unprecedented — a South African wine estate modelled on the great Italian tradition of producing fine wine and olive oil together.

His first project was the painstaking restoration of the manor house, built in 1786, under the guidance of renowned Cape Town architect Revel Fox. Then came the vineyards and olive groves. Bertrand imported the finest Italian olive cultivars and partnered with the Olive Oil Research Institute of Italy to establish groves that would produce world-class extra virgin olive oil. He planted Italian grape varieties alongside the classic Bordeaux cultivars — an innovation that set Morgenster apart from every other estate in the Cape.

The resulting wine portfolio bridges two continents. The Italian Collection features single-varietal Sangiovese, Vermentino, and Cabernet Franc alongside Tosca (a Sangiovese-based cuvee) and the celebrated Nabucco, made from just 1.6 hectares of estate Nebbiolo. The Bordeaux-inspired range includes the flagship Morgenster Red — a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot made in consultation with Pierre Lurton of Chateau Cheval Blanc, who sits on the Morgenster board. The estate's white wines include a Sauvignon Blanc, a Reserve White Blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, and a Lourens River Valley Red Blend at a more accessible price point.

Winemaker Henry Kotze joined in 2009 after studying oenology at Stellenbosch University and gaining experience at Vergelegen. He became widely regarded as the leading authority on Italian cultivars in South Africa, applying a minimalist winemaking philosophy that lets the fruit and terroir speak.

Giulio Bertrand passed away in May 2018 at the age of 91. His daughters Federica and Alessandra continue their father's dream, maintaining Morgenster as a family-run estate. The tasting room offers experiences from R100 to R600, including olive oil tastings in the Olive Shed. The on-site restaurant serves French-inspired cuisine with views of the vineyards, ocean, valley, and mountains. Morgenster remains one of only a handful of South African estates producing award-winning Italian-style wines and olive oil — a living monument to one man's conviction that the best of Italy and the Cape could flourish in the same soil.