BLANKBottle Winery

Pieter Walser - storyteller and winemaking genius - is the rule-breaking enigma behind cult wine label BLANKbottle Winery; a name that has really been shaking things up in the South African wine scene.

BLANKbottle has broken just about every mould there is with close to 40 different wines produced every year and almost half of them never to be repeated. No label bares information about grape varietal(s) or blend.

It all started in 2004 when a lady came to Pieter to buy some wine and asked for anything but Shiraz. “I don’t drink Shiraz” were her exact words. Pieter poured her a glass of wine. She loved it and bought 3 cases. It was 100% Shiraz. Pieter says: “It’s true, we do judge a book by its cover”. This is why Walser only indicates whether the bottle is red or white – he never gives mention to the grape varietal(s). “I want nothing on my labels”.

“When I started BLANKbottle, my goal was to create an honest wine brand that had no limitations when it came to style, vintage, area or cultivars in order to breakdown any preconceived expectations. Having no indication of cultivar on the bottle makes it possible”, says Walser. “It allows me the opportunity to introduce once-off, limited runs of interesting wines. Something for someone with an open mind and an adventurous heart”.

Quite incredibly, during harvest time Walser can travel up to 13,000 kilometres! And when his epilepsy booked him off driving, he converted a room in his house to an art studio and started designing all his own labels. With 20 out of 26 wines rated between 92 and 95 points by Master of Wine Tim Atkin, Pieter Walser’s BLANKbottle has quickly become one of South Africa’s most sought-after range of wines, which we are very proud to represent nationally.