Journeys End Weather Station Sauvignon Blanc, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Producer

Journey’s End is right at the heart of Stellenbosch, with one of the cape’s most exciting terroirs. The philosophy in both the vineyards and cellar follows a minimum intervention approach

In the cellars, winemaker Leon Esterhuizen handles the grapes as little as possible, using pre-fermentation soaks to maximise fruit characters. His sensitive use of oak ensures that the fruit always shines through in the glass.

The family’s philosophy is one of minimal intervention, both in the vineyards and the cellar. 10ha of land on the estate has been set aside for a re-wilding project, and similar respect for the environment can be seen across the whole winery. Journey’s End are committed to using only natural pesticides, where possible forgoing these in favour of cover crops to distract pests away from vines and act as a natural fertiliser. Wildlife is abundant throughout the vineyards and farm and works to create a perfect ecosystem for winegrowing; from beehives that encourage pollination, to Egyptian runner ducks that eat insects, to Eagle owls that catch rodents.

But Journey’s End don’t stop there – they were the second winery in the whole of South Africa to become entirely solar powered. Alongside this, they have a deep-running focus on community; one of our Fairtrade producers, they undertake efforts from running soup kitchens and pensioners’ lunches, to building new school halls.