Only 929 bottles made.

For a time during lockdown we were the only country (South Africa) in the world that were not allowed to export wine. I just assumed the international wine market would now turn their backs on us – out of sight, out of mind type of scenario. But the exact opposite happened. A very loyal client in the UK (Swig) became aware of the difficult situation we were in here in SA and offered their support but the long and short of it is that I did 2 wines exclusively for them – Praus and Brazen. PRAUS – Strength under control – 80% Botrivier Shiraz, 5% Stellenbosch Pinotage and 15% Breedekloof Pinotage.

We are having to compete in the wine world – with our hands tied behind our backs. which is depicted in the very poignant label. Pieter Walser of BLANKbottle.

#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. He doesnt own any vines, but instead scours South Africas winelands for top-quality fruit that has somehow slipped under the radar, now sourcing from nearly 70 sites. Some years hell make 20 wines, other years 35. With the benefit of anonymity, variety and regional identity take a back seat while parcel expression does the driving. These are some of South Africas most original wines, made by one of South Africas most original winemakers.