Slowly but surely Capetonians are getting used to shorter showers, letting the yellow mellow, and all those other changes we have had to make.

The struggle is real, but it seems like the penny has finally dropped and we’re clawing our way back.

Of course one thing many of us aren’t willing to compromise on is the quality and quantity of our wines, which has left many wondering what happens now with the Western Cape’s favourite wine farms and cellars.

The Globe and Mail decided to unpack what lies ahead, speaking with Marc Kent, the winemaker and managing shareholder of Boekenhoutskloof.

They would be the folks behind The Journeyman, but more on that later. Some bad news to start:

The 2018 harvest, now under way, is projected to be significantly smaller because of depleted groundwaters and precariously low dam levels that have choked irrigation supplies…

Marc says “we’re looking at a diminished crop of probably 20 per cent – much smaller berries, much smaller bunches”…

In the worst-hit areas, he added, the number could be closer to 40 per cent. And that’s on top of two already light crops since the rains began tapering off seriously in 2015.

You have to feel for the wine industry at large, but there is some good news for fans of Boekenhoutskloof:

Kent says Boekenhoutskloof’s home base in Franschhoek, just 50 kilometres east of Cape Town, has largely been spared misery because nearby mountains have delivered necessary rain. But his winery, known for such brands as Porcupine Ridge and the Wolftrap as well as several superpremium cuvées, draws fruit from a wide swath for its 6.5-million-bottle-a-year production.

Relief – you will still get to rock the Wolftrap Red to your heart’s content.

As for those who want to finally get their hands on the elusive The Journeyman – well, WineMag reckon you might be in for a tough time:

The Journeyman, off the Franschhoek estate, is perhaps the most impressive of the Bordeaux-grape reds…

It seems that Journeyman is destined to be the Boekenhoutskloof wine that’s going to be hardest to get – not only because it’s by far the most expensive (Wine Cellar in Cape Town offered this wine, the first publicly retailed, for R1 500 per bottle – and it easily sold out), but also because it might well continue appearing only in best vintages.

When wine is flying off the shelf for R1 500 a pop, you know it’s the good stuff.

If you’re keen to try and get your hands on The Journeyman, your best bet might just be to enquire about their Treasure Chest. Look at it – what a thing of beauty:

You can find those details here.

Of course, for those of us who like to enjoy quality wine without searching high and low, there are the superb Porcupine Ridge and Wolftrap ranges.

I reckon I know what you’ll be toasting to this weekend, so eat, drink plenty, and be merry.

[sources:globe&winemag]