JOURNEY’S END, one of South Africa’s most sustainable and experimental wineries, is revamping its range of wines to give clear differentiation between its three series – Tales, V and Precision – while maintaining a consistent theme across the family of wines.
The new look Tales series will be the first wines to be released. The new labels on these four wines are designed to tell the story behind each wine:
Weather StationSauvignon Blanc 2018 is named after the “Weerstasie Kloon” (Weather Station clone) in Stellenbosch where the SB11 Sauvignon Blanc clone was first propagated in the 1920s before a resurgence in the late 1970s. A complex wine, there’s melon and grapefruit on a bed of apple and pear, with a seam of freshness giving vitality and extending the flavours. Reflecting the vintage, this shows perfectly ripe fruit, full flavours and a round finish. Full of character and delicious.
Haystack Chardonnay 2018 is named after the age-old practice of planting wheat between the rows of vines, which encourages all the aphids and flies to land on the crop instead of the vines. The team also has a pair of eagle owls on the farm who are the pest controllers at Journey’s End, keeping the vineyards free of rodents. This wine pays homage to the environment. Oak and fruit are perfectly matched, each having its say without dominating; citrus peel and melon enriched by a subtle, savoury biscuit overlay. The limey acidity seamed through the fruit flavours gives food-friendly freshness and promises a few years’ ageing potential.
The Huntsman– Shiraz Mourvèdre Viognier 2017 is named after the original kennels the Gabb family found on their farm dating back to 1822, and where the Journey’s End winery now stands. It shows the expected hedgerow fruit, scrub, dried herbs and white pepper which comes from these varieties, along with an evenly balanced oak structure. Full bodied and smoothly luscious, it is ready to drink, the freshness adding lift and vibrancy to the dark fruit and liquorice richness.
Pastor’s Blend– Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Cabernet Franc 2018 pays homage to the Reverend from the local village of Sir Lowry’s Pass who regularly delivers Sunday communion at the foot of the Journey’s End vineyard. Journey’s End has embarked on a number of community support and development programmes with the local pastors including pensioners lunches and a contribution to a new village sports hall. Juicy plums and brambleberries, a savoury spice dusting from the oak, some dried herbs, giving it versatility for a range of food dishes. An elegant, harmonious wine for earlier drinking rather than long cellaring.
Comments Rollo Gabb, managing director: “In addition to the new branding, we have also been very busy in the vineyard and winery focusing on environmental changes and new innovations. Journey’s End is the second South African vineyard to become solar-powered.
“We farm sustainably or biodynamically across all our vineyards. Siting our vineyards in an area which benefits from the Cape Doctor winds has been a great help, as it blows away fungal problems naturally thus meaning the need for spraying is very minimal. And we love the area’s wildlife, recently setting aside 10ha to re-introduce indigenous wildlife and plant life species. Journey’s End became Fairtrade certified in the early parts of 2017 – a recognition that we are hugely proud of and one that we have worked incredibly hard to achieve.
“In the winery, we have recently introduced amphora pots and a concrete egg to give a different structure and mouthfeel to some of our wines. We are also employing innovative methods with wasted grape stalks, which are mixed with chicken manure, hay and lime to form a fermented compost. This emulsion is then used on new vineyard plantings and has enabled our team to plant one of the highest blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon in the Stellenbosch wine appellation.
“I believe we were also one of the first South African wineries to utilise drone technology in the vineyards. We use drones to survey vineyard blocks which gather and incorporate data such as heat and sunlight, density of soil, drainage of water, shaded areas, topographies. When combined these give an indication of strong and weak points of vineyard blocks helping us to micro-manage our vineyards.”
All four of the Tales Series wines will be available nationally retailing between R89 and R99 at selected retail outlets and wine merchants. The Tales Series will be followed by the new-look V Series and Precision Series later in the year.
- Tasting, sales, cheese platters and snacks by appointment, Mondays to Fridays, 10am till 5pm
- BYO picnic, walks, hikes, MTB and horse-riding
Journey’s End Vineyards, Sir Lowry’s Pass Road, Somerset West. For more information, call 021 858 1929, email [email protected], click here, or go to Facebook, Twitter @JourneysEndWine, Instagram @journeysendwines
