Welcome to the Western Cape Wineries - a kiwi's opinion blog

I originally set up this blog to help foreigners have an enjoyable experience when visiting the western cape wineries in South Africa.

I realised that it is very difficult for a tourist to choose where to go and which wineries to visit, when you have 600+ wine producers to choose from.

When I first moved to SA December 2010, my palate struggled to adjust to SA wine, b
ut after living here for a while and after visiting over 100+ wine estates, I have found many wines which I really like and can highly recommend.

Admittingly, when you come from another country it is hard not to compare the wine in SA to what you are used to back home. However, once you realise they are not the same (they have their own characteristics due to the different soil, climate etc) and appreciate their wines for being SA wines, it will improve your opinion and experience of the wines immediately.

If you are staying in SA for a while, don't dispair, your palate will change, and you will soon find yourself liking SA wine over your home countries wine!!

I hope my blog will help wine lovers have an enjoyable wine experience while in SA.

Please note: I am not a wine connoisseur. The comments I write about the wine is mostly for my own benefit of having them on record.



Sunday, 26 May 2013

Morgenster

Modern decor, fireplace, indoor and outdoor seating, olive and wine pairing, nice experience.


Today we went to Morgenster for an olive and wine tasting. I had been there before for a wine tasting just a few weeks ago and wasn't fussed on the wine, so I wasn't too excited about doing another wine tasting, but I was curious to see how the whole experience would be now that we were doing an olive tasting also.


Well the experience was great. If you go to Morgenster make sure you do the olive and wine tasting (rather than just a wine tasting). We sat inside as the weather was not so great. The fireplace was going so it was nice and cosy.


The girl serving us, Keelyn was very friendly, polite, professional and informative. She explained how to taste the oil and how each oil was produced. The olive oil, olive paste and olives were all very nice and it was a lot of fun tasting the platter they had put together.


We then did the wine tasting which included 7 wines selected by the estate.

First we had the Caruso 2012 Rose at R78 a bottle from the Italian Collection. It is 100% Sangiovese, is off dry and goes nicely with the olives. Having said this the wine enhanced the saltiness of the olives. This wine was light and pleasant. It was nice.

Second was the NU Series Merlot 2012 at R75 a bottle. This was a little spicy, had fruity, dark berry flavours and was a little dry.

Third we tried the NU Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 at R75 a bottle. I liked the colour which was a nice cherry/purple colour. It was soft and a little powdery on the palate.


Fourth we tried the Tosca 2010 at R190 a bottle from the Italian Collection. This had a slight brickish red colour, gorgeous nose, smooth, heavier than the Cabernet and a little more serious. It was also a little dry.

The fifth wine was the Nabucco 2010 at R190 a bottle also from the Italian Collection. It is 100% Nebbiolo. This wine had a slight green/fynbos smell. It was dry, light, and had a capsicum/pepper smell.

The sixth wine we tasted was the 2001 Lourens River Valley at R129 a bottle. This is a Bordeaux blend consisting of 55% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. This wine was nice, it had dark berry aromas and flavour, was fresh, clean and light. I liked it. It was a little dry though.

The last wine we tried was the Morgenster (Flagship) 2001 Bordeaux blend at R390 a bottle. This is a blend of 45% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon and 27% Cabernet Franc. This had a slightly sweet port smell, it was a little dry, amd was fruitier then the Lourens River Valley 2001.


If you like olives and wine, then I would recommend one visits this estate for this very enjoyable wine and olive tasting. I am still not sold on the wine, but perhaps it is just not my style/choice of wine.

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