SAY HELLO TO ROLLO GABB

e Road Less Travelled

We sit down with ROLLO GABB from Journey’s End

TELL US THE STORY BEHIND JOURNEY’S END

Journey’s End was the rst vineyard that my family purchased back in 1995. At the time, it was only 20 hectares, had no running water, no house and no winery, but my father saw the beauty and potential and was taken with the incredible view. Journey’s End is one of the most southerly planted vineyards in the Stellenbosch winelands, overlooking False Bay—which means our vineyard bene ts from the cooling and cleansing south easterly wind, the ‘Cape Doctor’. Since then, sustainably and ethically producing premium, delicious wines and having fun while doing so, has been at the very heart of what we do.

HOW DID YOU FIRST GET INTO WINE?

My father, Roger, started a UK wine business called Western Wines in 1980, as an importer of wines from around the world. Western Wines went on to build some very well-known international brands, including Kumala in South Africa, Da Luca from Italy, Isla Negra and Cono Sur from Chile—with it also accounting for 55% of all South Africa wine exports from 1995-2006. Aged 15, I used to be packed o to do harvest in Burgundy for Patrick Javillier, taking the train all the way to Beaune from Shropshire, UK. I then went to university in Manchester, where I spent most of my time running nightclubs, including the famous Hacienda. I realized the wine industry was for me so I started working in Oddbins—a London retailer. I then went to Wirra Wirra, McLaren

Vale, Australia to work a vintage, followed by vintages in New Zealand and Italy. A er that I worked for my father at Western Wines until its sale in 2006. I took over Journey’s End in 2007, and it is now a 120-hectare estate with our range of wines available internationally in over 30 markets.

WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING PART OF YOUR JOB?

Aside from making delicious wines that are broadly well received by our customers and press, looking a er our community—the team, their families and the wider local community—is extremely important. Likewise, the environment; we are solar-powered, Fairtrade certi ed, WWF Conservation Champions and carbon negative. We have ongoing community and sustainability initiatives that we are constantly expanding. To bring together our community projects, we launched the Journey’s End Foundation in August 2020, largely in response to the pandemic and the increasing poverty and hunger in the local community. We began a meal programme, in which we fund all the equipment, ingredients and fuel for supplies for six soup kitchens. We now provide over 30,000 meals a week to those in need.

WHAT SETS JOURNEY’S END WINES APART?

We’ve always been innovative and experimental. In the vines, the Cape Doctor wind that comes in from False Bay is cleansing and cooling which leads to fresh, clean pro les coming through from our grapes. In the cellar, our winemakers, Leon Esterhuizen and Mike Dawson, are super dynamic and as well as using classic methods, they are also very progressive. We use carbonic maceration on some of our reds, we use concrete eggs and amphorae clay pots on some of our whites, and also a combination of layering traditionally treated grapes with grapes treated using these alternate methods.

WHAT’S THE AWARD YOU’RE MOST PROUD OF?

We are lucky to have won many awards recognising the quality of our wines and winemakers. But I think what I am most proud of, is being named Ethical Company of the Year by e Drinks Business Green Awards in both 2020 and 2021 for our ongoing work supporting

our community. We were also recognized in e Drinks Business Green Awards in 2021 for our e cient use of water, winning the Water Management award too. Last year we were also the highest scoring South African red wine in Decanter with 97 Points for our Cape Doctor Red 2015—a wine that also scored 5 Stars with Platter.

WHERE DO YOU THINK SOUTH AFRICAN WINES STAND ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE AT THE MOMENT?

ere has historically been this perception that South African wines are not super-premium or premium. I think this is nally starting to change as the category grows. With the unfortunate harvest issues faced in France and New Zealand over the last few years, for example, South Africa has stepped up to provide incredibly good value alternative Sauvignon Blancs, Chardonnays and Bordeaux Blends, and people are starting to appreciate the spectacular wines coming out of this country more and more. I am also a Chairman of Premium Independent Wineries of South Africa (PIWOSA), comprising of 12 member wineries. Together we are investing as unit and working closely to raise the international pro le of South Africa’s premium o ering.

IF YOU DIDN’T GET INTO WINE, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE?

I used to run nightclubs, and I’m also a founder and Director of Harts Group restaurants in London, so I like to think I would always have ended up closely connected to drinks, wine, food, parties and all the things I love. very hard, but at the end of the day, we have fun doing so! ere’s a great sense of comradery on the farm. We also have a trebuchet, a medieval catapult, that we ing various things from—cars, barrels, pianos, you name it. It’s great fun and we also use it to raise money for the Foundation and charity events hosted on the farm. I don’t know any other wine farms who have a contraption like this…

WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO EXPERIENCE WHEN DRINKING JOURNEY’S END WINES?

We want people to discover the delicious, premium wines that South Africa has to o er. We have such a broad range of varietals and styles, and I think this helps people learn a bit more about South African wines and their versatility. For example, we’ve got a beautiful, rich, oaked Destination Chardonnay but for those who like something a little more subtle, we have an unwooded Haystack Chardonnay too. Both are delicious, but I think show that there’s something for everyone.

HOW AND WHERE IS THE BEST WAY TO ENJOY A GLASS OF THE CAPE DOCTOR?

e Cape Doctor, a Bordeaux Blend, is one of our most prestigious wines, it’s very elegant but also quite intense. I personally love the Cape Doc when it’s a little colder, alongside a perfectly cooked sirloin and great company.

CAN YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST GLASS OF GOOD WINE YOU HAD?

It would have been aged 15 working for Patrick Javillier and drinking one of his delicious unlabelled Meursaults during harvest in 1987.

ANY MISTAKE YOU’VE EVER MADE THAT, IF YOU COULD GO BACK, YOU WOULD CORRECT?

Lots! Speci c to the vineyard, we once planted a block of Sauvignon Blanc for commercial reasons and realized pretty quickly we should have planted something else. We did manage to correct it and replaced with Petit Verdot and Malbec for our Cape Doctor, but it was a time consuming and costly error.

WHAT’S THE BEST PART ABOUT PRODUCING WINE?

I always say, ‘If you’re not having fun doing what you love, what’s the point?’ And I think that ethos re ects across our team. We all work very,

WHAT’S THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU RECEIVED?

Be kind and be honest. Find out what you are interested in in life and go and do it properly.

ANY WINES YOU HAVE A SOFT SPOT FOR?

As we head into summer it is the Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlemagne 2015 for seriously delicious White Burgundy… or if South African, I like the Ken Forresters ‘Dirty Little Secret’ Chenin Blanc. On the reds, I love Alex Dale’s Freedom Pinot Noir or the Crystallum Cuvee Cinema Pinot Noir… from SA it would be probably the Au Bon Climat Pinot or a Cheval Blanc 1995 depending on how reckless one is feeling!

WHY THE FOCUS ON CHARDONNAY?

Our terroir, with the cooling breezes coming o the ocean is very well suited to Chardonnay as has been shown from the start when our rst ever release Chardonnay—Journey’s End 2002 was awarded Platter’s 5 stars at a time when only 16 wines received 5 stars in Platter’s. As a family, we also love our white burgundies so we are following that vein. We love the versatility of the grape and believe coastal cooler climate vineyards in South Africa are able to produce world class examples.

Email: info@journeysend.co.za Tel: 021 858 1929 Address: Farm 25B, Sir Lowry’s Pass Rd, Somerset West, Western Cape