All based around the Autumn Equinox theory, which is mad enough but here we see a blend of Riesling, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc… yeah, you read that correctly! There is an old theory that the best vineyards ripen at the Autumn Equinox. Before the days of soil analysis and drones winemakers would decide what was planted where by seeing what ripens at the Autumn Equinox. So Syrah in Cote Rotie would ripen around the 20th of September for example (although things are changing slightly now with climate change). In the Southern Hemisphere this is around the 20th of March so Pieter selected grapes that were harvested around this date that were at optimal ripeness. Made in a combination of Amphora and old French Oak, spends a year on lees.

#Tasting#

The tale behind the name BLANKbottle is that when Pieter was starting out, he made a small parcel of Shiraz and was left with a few unlabelled cases. One day, a woman wanted to buy a wine Anything but Shiraz, she told him. Pieter shrugged and sold her the unlabelled Shiraz, neglecting to mention the variety. A few weeks later she returned demanding more, saying it was the best thing shed ever drunk. For Pieter, it was a lesson on the gap between what people think they like (or dislike) and what they actually like (or dislike). After that, he decided not to list the varieties on his labels. Every one of Pieters wines is a story, rather than a grape variety, and its the juice inside the bottle which reveals that story.