Morgenster Extra Virgin Olive Oil rated tops by Flos Olei

 December 2015

For seven years in a row

Morgenster Extra Virgin Olive Oil rated tops by Flos Olei

For the seventh consecutive time Morgenster Estate in Somerset West has been awarded a top score in the authoritative international Flos Olei guide which assesses the world’s best olive oils. This year the 2016 edition awarded Morgenster 98 points out of a possible 100.

Owner Giulio Bertrand says of his third 98-point score: “For me, this is an early Christmas present and one of which I will never get bored! Again, we were among a few, only 13 oils achieved 98%. Apart from Morgenster, the other top oils come from Italy (eight), Spain (three) and Chile (one).”

Flos Olei 2016 description: This farm has been present in our Guide for some years and its growth has been praised and recognized. Also the present performance is extraordinary and as usual is due to Giulio Bertrand's dedication and enthusiasm. In 1992 he took over the farm, where wine has been produced for three centuries, and decided to aim at quality olive growing. Today in the large estate of Somerset West there are 50 hectares of specialized olive grove with 30,000 trees, which produced 3,000 quintals of olives and 600 hectolitres of oil in the last harvest. There are two splendid Extra Virgin Morgenster, the "basic" and Don Carlo, which is an intense limpid green colour with slight golden yellow hues.

Flavour  profiles: The Flos Olei 2016 guide describes Morgenster Don Carlo, a single cultivar intense oil, as: Its aroma is definite and elegant, rich in hints of artichoke, chicory and lettuce, with distinct notes of mint, rosemary and sage. Its taste is full and strong, with a flavour of cinnamon, black pepper and almond. Bitterness is strong and pungency is distinct.

Morgenster Extra Virgin Olive Oil bursts with multiple layers of flavour, the result of blending oils from at least 14 different Italian cultivars grown, extracted and bottled on the Morgenster Estate. The first whiff is intense freshly cut grass with secondary aromas of green tomatoes, almonds, artichokes and green apples.

About Flos Olei 2016

· Flos Olei is an annual guide (first edition 2010), which is the first to deal on an international scale with the world’s best extra virgin olive oils, providing information about the sector and directing readers towards quality. Scoring involves an assessment of olive oils from both northern and southern hemisphere countries, conducted by a panel of expert tasters under the coordination of Marco Oreggia (www.marco-oreggia.com). Tasters follow strictly controlled tasting procedures. www.flosolei.com