The South African Wine That Gives Back

I'm going to need you to put down whatever you're drinking for a second, habibi, because I have a wine story for you.

And I don't mean the kind where someone waxes lyrical about a particularly compelling Chardonnay for four paragraphs before getting to the point. I mean the kind where a bottle of South African wine is quietly changing people's lives in a small village at the foot of a mountain pass outside Cape Town.

Stay with me.

The south-easterly wind that rolls in from False Bay keeps the vineyards cool and clean. Locals call it the Cape Doctor, which is honestly a name I wish I had.

Between the soils, the wind, and a family that's been nurturing this place for nearly thirty years, Journey's End produces Cape Town wines that are quietly some of the best South African wines being made right now.

But here's the thing. The wine is almost not the point. Almost.

Journey's End switched to solar power in 2014, became Fairtrade-certified in 2017, holds WWF Conservation Champion status, and has become the first winery and vineyard in South Africa to achieve B Corp certification.

I know, I know. Every wine brand has a sustainability page these days. But Journey's End has the receipts, and they are not small.

Today, the Foundation runs over 50,000 meals a week through a network of 6 soup kitchens, each one operated by a local woman from Sir Lowry's Pass Village, such as Joyce’s Kitchen.

Meet Joyce and hear what she has to say herself! Watch the video.

Over six million meals and counting, habibi. Six million.

The support for Sow The Seed, the Youth Learning Centre, running on all fronts.

The sewing initiative, empowering women survivors of gender-based violence by turning unrecyclable plastic into marketable bags.

The WSET scholarship programme investing in the next generation of wine talent.

It’s like… wait, what? Do they ever stop?

In 2020 and 2021, they won the Ethical Company award at The Drinks Business Green Awards. In 2022, they took the Social Impact category at the Footprint Drinks Sustainability Awards. In March 2022, they were named Gender Equality Champions at Fairtrade's International Women's Day event.

At some point, you stop calling it a winery and start calling it a community institution that also happens to make excellent South African wine.

Inzuzo is majority owned by local vineyard and cellar workers from Sir Lowry's Pass Village, and every cent from wine sales goes directly into specific, audited projects back in the community.

No vague pledges. No rounding up at checkout. The money goes where it's supposed to go.

She now makes wines that carry her community's story on every label, literally.

The artwork on each Inzuzo bottle comes from a local art programme run in partnership with artist Charlie Vettori, using creativity to engage and rehabilitate children in the village. The labels are beautiful. Knowing where they come from makes them even more so.

Kaylin puts it best herself: "Each day, I'm very grateful that my role in winemaking is now intercepted with a role in outreach."

I don't know about you, but that hits differently when you're holding a glass.

These are some of the best South African wines you'll find at this price point, made from one of the Cape's most celebrated terroirs, by a winemaker who has earned every accolade coming her way.

The fact that buying a bottle also funds meals, education, and community programmes in Sir Lowry's Pass Village is the kind of thing that makes you want to buy a case, not just a bottle.

Find Inzuzo's Transformative Malbec and Sauvignon Blanc at MMI, in-store and via the MMI Cheers Club App. Plus, every time you purchase 2 bottles of Inzuzo wines in Townsquare, Motor City, Al Wasl, Arabian Ranches III, Dubai Hills, Greens Onyx stores, you will receive a free tote bag made of unrecyclable plastic by survivors of gender-based violence, part of Journey's End Foundation. When you finally open a bottle, raise a glass to Journey's End Vineyards and the village that made it all possible.

Cheers, habibi. Sip with purpose, and responsibly.