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
Journey's End Weather Station Sauvignon Blanc
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 attached winemaker Mike Dawson’s recipe for White Wine Mussel Soup
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
- 1 leek
- 2 celery sticks
- 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
- 3 mashed garlic cloves
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup of cream
Method
1. 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.
2. Reduce the heat, add the mussels, cover, and simmer for 5 mins or until mussels have opened.
3. Add the cream right at the end and you’re good to go.
4. 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”