Journey’s End has been a celebrated fixture of South African wine list sections in the UK for decades now. Since its rebirth under the ownership of Roger Gabb in 1995, this Stellenbosch winery has produced fabulous quality Chardonnay and Bordeaux blends at a price and style point that fits the UK market. But the Journey’s End story is so much more than simply great wines, as The Buyer’s Mike Turner found out at a recent lunch with winemaker Mike Dawson.
What can I say about Journey's End Vineyards? Well, for a start, it’s one of the most well-known wine names from South Africa with many Journey’s End wines ending on bar and restaurant lists up and down the UK.
Each time I’ve tried the wines I’ve been more than happy to finish the glass and order another. That’s a given. The wines are great. But, as I was to find out at a recent meeting with winemaker Mike Dawson, Journey’s End has so much more going on than simply a range of great value, premium, easy-to-drink Western Cape wines.
Who is Journey’s End?
In 1995, the Gabb family from Shropshire purchased a beautiful, but dilapidated vineyard in the southern part of Stellenbosch. It was great timing, as the South African wine industry began to evolve at pace as the monopolies ended. A thirsty export market was keen to explore what the Western Cape could offer and were increasingly delighted by the sustainable and ethical ethos of the Gabb family at their farm.
Specialising in Chardonnay and Bordeaux varieties, the team now grows “nearly every noble grape under the sun” according to Mike Dawson, the winemaker who has taken on the mantle from Leon Esterhuizen, who himself has moved to the overseeing role of cellar master. Dawson was in the UK to promote the new vintages of the Journey’s End premium ranges, which gave me a chance to ask him just what he thinks makes Journey’s End so special.
Picture perfect vineyard setting
The Journey’s End vineyards sit in the South-East of the famous Stellenbosch valley, to the east of Somerset West and just to the north of the village of Sir Lowry’s Pass. The vineyard is set amongst the Schapenberg hills, enclosed by the Helderberg mountain as it boomerangs around the vines and slopes down towards the ocean to the South.
“The Helderberg is also known as the shining mountain,” revealed Dawson. “As the sun sets it illuminates the mountain showing what great late evening sun we get in the growing season.”
Despite the extra sunshine, the vineyards remain a perfect place for fresh grapes. All vineyards are planted on south-facing slopes (the cooler side in the southern hemisphere). The average temperature is also 4-5°C cooler than central Stellenbosch and with a larger diurnal range. It all fits in to achieving a longer ripening period for high natural acidity and flavour precursors in the grapes.
Journey’s End also lays claim to having the most southerly vineyard block in the Stellenbosch appellation, at only 6kms from the coast. This means plenty of exposure to the south easterly Cape Doctor winds flowing in from False Bay. It can be really helpful to reduce any fungal issues, but it can have its downsides.
“2 months ago, all our solar panels (Journey’s End fully converted to solar in 2014) were blown off by 110km/h winds,” rued Dawson.
Celebrating the uniqueness of the Western Cape
Over lunch we chatted more about Journey’s End's proud environmental programme. Given recent climatic issues, the first topic of conversation was on the use of water.
“We have our own dam system which we then use to supply our efficient drip irrigation system,” explained Dawson.
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