The distributor sent along some incredibly helpful information here (and I'll email it to you too, Jim, just so you have it for your files):
The Morgenster EVOO from South Africa is from the 2013 harvest -- they haven't yet released their 2014 harvest. Southern Hemisphere harvests generally take place every June, about 6 months opposite of the November harvests that take place for oils in the Northern Hemisphere (Italy, France, Spain, Greece, etc.).
The 2013 harvest is the one we currently have up on the site, and it has a 'best use by date' of July 2015, just about a year from now!
Morgenster harvested and pressed the 2014 crop of olives two months ago. The oil then sits and "settles" (the settling process allows for sediment to gently fall to the bottom of the tanks - rather than a forced separation which would change the oil's quality) and from there, the oil is blended with other varietals which were each harvested and pressed separately. Much like wine, which is also produced at the estate, the different varietals are tasted and different quantities of each are added to the final blend -- they use 14 different varietals for this oil. The characteristics of the olive varietals change from year to year, due to weather conditions and the actual harvest time. Morgenster takes all of the varietal characteristics into account to produce what they determine to be an oil with the best qualities - fruity aromas of green apples and almonds and a peppery finish.
We should receive the 2014 harvest later this Fall once it's ready!
And -- as a fun tidbit, Morgenster is 1 of only 11 producers around the world to have received a score of 98, the highest given, from the Flos Olei, a guide for olive oils.
Is this an olive oil sold in Provisions? If so, you should send them an email. You can do that by scrolling down to the bottom of this page and clicking on "get help".
4 Comments
The Morgenster EVOO from South Africa is from the 2013 harvest -- they haven't yet released their 2014 harvest. Southern Hemisphere harvests generally take place every June, about 6 months opposite of the November harvests that take place for oils in the Northern Hemisphere (Italy, France, Spain, Greece, etc.).
The 2013 harvest is the one we currently have up on the site, and it has a 'best use by date' of July 2015, just about a year from now!
Morgenster harvested and pressed the 2014 crop of olives two months ago. The oil then sits and "settles" (the settling process allows for sediment to gently fall to the bottom of the tanks - rather than a forced separation which would change the oil's quality) and from there, the oil is blended with other varietals which were each harvested and pressed separately. Much like wine, which is also produced at the estate, the different varietals are tasted and different quantities of each are added to the final blend -- they use 14 different varietals for this oil. The characteristics of the olive varietals change from year to year, due to weather conditions and the actual harvest time. Morgenster takes all of the varietal characteristics into account to produce what they determine to be an oil with the best qualities - fruity aromas of green apples and almonds and a peppery finish.
We should receive the 2014 harvest later this Fall once it's ready!
And -- as a fun tidbit, Morgenster is 1 of only 11 producers around the world to have received a score of 98, the highest given, from the Flos Olei, a guide for olive oils.
I hope this helps!
Thanks for your great question!
Lauren Kelley
Director, Customer Experience and Operations, Food52 & Provisions