Introducing Journey's End Vineyards' Tales Series

New Look & Vintages, ‘Tales’ from The Farm and Some Favourite Recipes from Winemaker Mike Dawson

Journey's End Tales Series New Vintage Wines

Journey’s End Vineyards have released the latest vintages of their new-look Tales Series; a range of four wines, each with eye-catching modern designs to show the inspiration behind the labels.

The new releases include:

Journey’s End Weather Station Sauvignon Blanc 2020
Journey’s End Haystack Chardonnay 2019
Journey’s End The Huntsman Shiraz Mourvèdre Grenache 2019
Journey’s End Pastor’s Blend Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Cabernet Franc 2019

JOURNEY’S END WEATHER STATION SAUVIGNON BLANC 2020

The Tale: This wine is named after the famed SB11 ‘Weerstasie Kloon’ (Weather Station clone) which is one of the core components used in this wine. First propagated in Stellenbosch in the 1920s, it made a huge resurgence in the late 1970s. The clone is nicknamed ‘The Weather Station’ as the original plantings were made beside an old weather station, which proved invaluable in enabling the farms to spot oncoming changes in the weather and thus pick their fruit at its optimum condition.
Tasting Notes: The wine displays full ripe tropical fruit notes while maintaining the fresh natural acidity and minerality distinctive of the area. A pronounced nose of passionfruit, green apple and piney notes is complemented by salty minerality, hints of kiwifruit and a seam of freshness giving vitality and extending the flavours. The wine has a lovely weight and round mouthfeel on the mid-palate, and a balanced acidity which brings freshness and length to the finish.
Food Pairing: See below winemaker Mike Dawson’s recipe for White Wine Mussel Soup to enjoy with the Weather Station Sauvignon Blanc.

JOURNEY’S END HAYSTACK CHARDONNAY 2019 (UNOAKED)

The Tale: This wine takes its name from the age-old practice of planting wheat between the rows of vines (to prevent weeds and therefore reduce the need for spraying). This is just one of a number of organic and bio-dynamic practices on the farm. This wine pays homage to the preservation and protection of nature and the environment at Journey’s End.
Tasting notes: Pronounced citrus peel, lime and melon flavours delight on the nose and the palate, enhanced by a richness and complexity from 4 months post fermentation lees contact. Drink now and up until 2023. The balance between creaminess and freshness makes for a food-friendly wine.
Food Pairing: Ideal with sushi, creamy dishes and seafood.

JOURNEY’S END THE HUNTSMAN - SHIRAZ MOURVÈDRE GRENACHE 2019

The Tale: This wine is named in honour of the Cape Hunt hounds’ original kennels dating back to 1822, the foundations of which were found by the Gabb family when they were building their cellar. 1811 marked the first ever hunt in the Western Cape with hounds imported from Gloucestershire, UK. To this day, the Cape Hunt remains the oldest Hunt in the New World.
The Blend: 54% Shiraz, 20% Mourvèdre, 20% Grenache with 6% Viognier
Tasting Notes: A beautiful dark ruby red colour, this wine shows expressive notes of violets, redcurrant and cherries with hints of white pepper and liquorice along with an evenly balanced oak structure and elegant soft powdery tannins. It is full bodied and smoothly luscious, the freshness adding lift and vibrancy to the richness of the dark fruit. Drink now and until 2024.
Food Pairing: See attached winemaker Mike Dawson’s recipe for Fillet with Peppercorn Sauce to complement The Huntsman.

JOURNEY’S END PASTOR’S BLEND - CABERNET SAUVIGNON MERLOT CABERNET FRANC 2019

The Tale: This wine pays homage to the Pastors from the local village of Sir Lowry’s Pass who regularly deliver Sunday sermons at the foot of the Journey’s End vineyard. It is through these local pastors that Journey’s End channels resources for their support and development programmes to uplift a community traditionally plagued by low socio-economic conditions. Journey’s End’s support includes running soup kitchens and pensioners lunches, building a new school hall, providing music lessons, funding a creche and a campaign to eradicate bullying in the township schools.
The Blend: 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 27% Cabernet Franc
Tasting Notes: A well-judged partnership of the classic Bordeaux varieties, this is an elegant harmonious wine displaying rich notes of juicy dark red fruit including plums, cherries and blackberries with a savoury spice dusting from the oak and some dried herbs giving it versatility for a range of food dishes. This wine is made for earlier drinking rather than long cellaring.
Food Pairing: Enjoy with lamb shanks, roast beef or venison.

PURCHASE JOURNEY’S END TALES SERIES WINES

All four of the Tales Series wines are vegan-friendly and are available for purchase at the cellar, online at https://shop.journeysend.co.za/ and nationally at selected retail outlets and wine merchants. Approximate retail prices: R100 for the white wines and R117 for the red wines.

JOURNEY’S END V SERIES AND PRECISION SERIES WINES

Journey’s End Vineyards’ other wines include the V Series and Precision Series:
V Series: five varietal wines - Chardonnay, Merlot, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc retailing between R177 and R198.

Precision Series: three top tier wines - Destination Chardonnay, Cape Doctor (Cabernet Sauvignon) and The Griffin (Syrah), retailing at approximately R300.

Winemaker Mike Dawson has kindly shared some of his favourite recipes for food pairing with the Weather Station Sauvignon Blanc and The Huntsman Shiraz Mourvèdre Grenache. Mike focuses on sustainable grape growing and winemaking with a minimal intervention approach, incorporating organic practices wherever possible. He is also mindful in his day-to-day life at Journey’s End Vineyards, which he calls home. Here, Mike grows and tends to his own bountiful vegetable and herb garden, and very much enjoys cooking seasonally with his produce.

JOURNEY’S END’S WINEMAKER, MIKE DAWSON, SHARES HIS FILLET WITH PEPPERCORN SAUCE RECIPE TO BE ENJOYED WITH JOURNEY’S END THE HUNTSMAN SHIRAZ MOURVÈDRE GRENACHE

Mike’s comments on The Huntsman pairing with his Fillet with Peppercorn Sauce recipe

“Our Rhône-styled red blend is predominantly driven by Shiraz, which brings with it an ever-evident white pepper spice. The blend is rounded by Mourvèdre (which adds a nice savoury character) and Grenache (which brings beautiful red fruit to the blend). This wine perfectly complements a beautiful rich red meat dish on a cold winter’s day and is also a perfect choice for a casual hot summer’s day when chilled down to 14 degrees. It certainly won’t disappoint. It is a wine to be enjoyed on all occasions!”

FILLET WITH PEPPERCORN SAUCE RECIPE

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil
25g clarified butter
2 fillet steaks (ideally beef matured for 3-5 weeks), about 140g/5oz each, at room temperature
A knob of butter
2 large shallots, finely chopped (from my garden)
6 medium mushrooms, sliced (from my garden)
2 tsp green and pink peppercorns, crushed (from my garden)
3 tbsp brandy
100ml Journey’s End “The Huntsman” (We use a bit more than that)
200ml good-quality beef stock
3 tbsp double cream

Method

Heat a frying pan over a medium-to-high heat, then pour in the oil and the clarified butter. Add the steaks, season them with salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper and cook to your liking (2 mins each side for medium-rare, 3 mins each side for medium, depending on the thickness of your steaks). Be sure to seal the rounded edges, too. Transfer to a plate.
Add the knob of butter to the pan, then fry the shallots, mushrooms, and peppercorns over a medium heat for 5 mins, until the shallots have softened, and the mushrooms have browned. Return the steaks to the pan. Heat the brandy in a metal ladle, light with a match then carefully pour into the hot pan, standing as far back as you can. Once the pan has stopped flaming, remove the steaks again.
Pour the wine into the pan, turn up the heat and boil rapidly until reduced by half. This will take about 5 mins. Add the stock and reduce again, this time by two-thirds. Stir the cream into the sauce and allow it to thicken slightly. Check the sauce for seasoning, then return the fillets to the pan to warm through, spooning the sauce over. Serve straight away.

ENJOY WITH JOURNEY’S END “THE HUNTSMAN SHIRAZ MOURVÈDRE GRENACHE”

JOURNEY’S END’S WINEMAKER, MIKE DAWSON, SHARES HIS WHITE WINE MUSSEL SOUP RECIPE TO BE ENJOYED WITH JOURNEY’S END WEATHER STATION SAUVIGNON BLANC

Mike’s comments on the Weather Station pairing with his White Wine Mussel Soup recipe
“It is a fresh style of wine, with beautiful natural acidity and tropical fruit flavours, which makes it a perfect pairing with seafood, of which mussels is my favourite. The freshness of the wine cuts through the creaminess of the soup. This is a match made in heaven.”

WHITE WINE MUSSEL SOUP RECIPE

Ingredients

3kg fresh mussels
2 onions (from my garden)
1 leek (from my garden)
2 celery sticks (from my garden)
1 cup of water
1 cup of chicken broth
1 cup of Journeys End “Weather Station Sauvignon Blanc” (be a little more generous if you are feeling adventurous)
1 cup of clam juice (you can also buy canned clams and drain out the juice, or if you can’t find canned clams, then substitute with another cup of chicken broth)
A quarter cup of fresh parsley (from my garden)
3 mashed garlic cloves (from my garden)
Salt and pepper of course
1 cup of cream

Method

Add onions, leeks, celery, parsley, garlic, water, wine, chicken broth, clam juice, salt and pepper into a potjie pot over hot coals, and bring this to boil
Reduce the heat, add the mussels, cover, and simmer for 5 mins or until mussels have opened
Add the cream right at the end and you’re good to go
This recipe serves four, but my girlfriend Tynika and I are more than capable of finishing two servings each

ENJOY WITH JOURNEY’S END “WEATHER STATION SAUVIGNON BLANC”