Wine Wednesday continues with a red wine from Journey’s End…Kendal Lodge. A mix of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, Kendal Lodge is a great wine at an even greater price. If you’re on the lookout for a new red wine to try this Wednesday then this could be right up your street. This post contains an item that was given to me as a press sample as well as affiliate links. For more information please feel free to read my disclaimer and privacy policy.
Journey’s End: A Bit About The Brand
Based in Stellenbosch, South Africa, Journey’s End was founded in 1995 by the Gabb family (who were actually originally from Shropshire, UK). The company are very much focused on producing great quality wine that is hand-crafted with a premium feel. They also believe in having a ‘hands-off’ approach to their wines. What does that mean exactly? Well, it basically means that they believe in keeping the wine true to the terroir (the environmental conditions that the grapes grow in). Not only are Journey’s End committed to making quality wine, but they’re also committed to conservation, sustainability and biodiversity. The winery has even received recognition for its environmental commitments and was awarded WWF Conservation Champion status, which is something that only 45 South African wineries have attained.
As well as this, they were also awarded the Ethical Company of the Year award at The Drinks Business Green Awards in 2020. This was as recognition for their continued sustainability initiatives and their contribution to their local community through the Journey’s End Foundation initiative. If there was ever a company to make you feel amazing about drinking their wine it’s Journey’s End!

Kendal Lodge by Journey’s End
So…onto the wine itself. I tested out Kendal Lodge which, as I’ve mentioned already, is a mix of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The exact ratio is 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc. Aged in French oak barrels, Kendal Lodge is described by Journey’s End as being fine in texture with a blackberry and roasted herb scent. The three key words that they use to describe the style of it are:
OAKED | RICH | SAVOURY
From the scent alone I could definitely get the oak that they were promising. As for the ‘rich’ and ‘savoury’ descriptors, it was down to the taste to see if they’d ring true.

Tasting Kendal Lodge: My Thoughts
It’s time for the taste test. Did it stack up? The short answer…absolutely. It’s full-bodied and packed with flavours of blackberry and herbs which give it an overall richness. As well as the blackberry and herb flavours there was also a lovely roasted coffee taste in there too. Overall I found that the wine was super smooth and savoury, nothing too heavy about it at all, but then right at the end there was a kick of spice. This definitely worked for me. Journey’s End recommend pairing Kendal Lodge with roasted lamb or beef but I actually ended up drinking mine alongside a homemade lamb curry. The spice kick from the curry was really set off when it was paired with Kendal Lodge. It was an absolute spice sensation in the best way.
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Where can you pick up a bottle of Kendal Lodge?
Since Kendal Lodge was actually made specially for Marks & Spencer you can easily pick up a bottle from M&S both in store and online. It’s also available online at Ocado. At Β£8 a bottle it’s such a great value wine that I think would suit most red wine drinkers’ tastes.

Are you familiar with Journey’s End? Have you tried their Kendal Lodge 2018 wine before? Let me know if you think it might be up your street in the comments.
Female Original
For more Wine Wednesday reviews head on over to my review of Dark Horse’s Merlot.
This is easily one of the most affordable red wines I have come across, and I absolutely love it delivers in taste and smell! That it combines berries and herbs makes it sound delicious, but I am intrigued also by the mix of three wines that go into this.
Thanks for sharing!
It’s definitely a great price! The combination of three different grapes was definitely something that intrigued me as well – a totally new experience for me x
As someone who enjoys oaky red wines, I definitely want to give this a try. Thanks for sharing!
Glad you like the sound of it! π x
This sounds delicious! I was curious as to what the blend would taste like but I love fuller bodied reds and those notes you described sound like something I’d love. Β£8 a bottle is great too. Definitely need to try this one x
Sophie
It’s such a great value wine that really delivers! I hope you enjoy giving it a try π x
I must say, I am not an avid wine drinker but this was described superbly and sounds worthy of a try!
Glad you like the sound of it even if you aren’t a big fan of wine π x
I love red wines, my favorite. This combination of grapes with herbs will be a new experience. Would love to try it out
So glad you like the sound of it! X
I’m not a big drinker but this does sound lovely! Thanks for sharing!
Glad you like sound of it, despite not being much of a drinker! π x
Oooh I have a friend that’s from Stellenbosch – I should just go ahead and try the wine!
Ana, http://www.adreamersland.com
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Haha the perfect excuse to treat yourself to a bottle! x
I love reading about wine, I always found it fascinating! This one sounds great, even though I am more of a white-wine kind of girl x
Glad you like the sound of it despite being more of a white wine drinker! π x
This sounds like a great wine and I like the fact it is packed with fruity flavours! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
It’s a fab wine, and such a great price too! π x
Affordable and delicious! I love that lol Iβm finally at the point of my life where I can enjoy a little time cracking open a new bottle of wine and I love it more than I expected to. From learning about types all across the world to the differences between white wines and red, itβs been quite the journey.
I find your posts very helpful and iβm super excited to try some new wines…might have to do a special post in honor of you soon!
Hahaha the perfect combination! Awww thank you, I’m so glad that my wine reviews are helpful π x
This wine sounds delightful! I love that the business also practices sustainability initiatives. Full bodied reds are my fav. xx
Lynn | https://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com
It’s a lovely wine! π x
I haven’t tried red wine yet, and the way you describe this one has me wanting to rush over to my local food market and try and pick up whatever the equivalent to this one would be :’) x
Oooh I hope you like it when you do try it because the wine reviews aren’t ending anytime soon haha! π x
Kendal Lodge looks so sophisticated. My dad and uncles love drinking wines every week so I’m thinking of letting them try this one now that you mentioned about a unique blackberry flavor and coffee with a certain spice in the end. This has 5-star resto vibes haha. Thanks for sharing!
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So glad you like the sound of it! I hope they enjoy trying it out π x