Last Monday’s Alumni Wine Club Tasting was nothing short of extraordinary, as members of Enjoy Discovery Wine Alumni Club gathered for a deep dive into the world of Blankbottle Winery. Known for its unorthodox approach to winemaking and refusal to conform to traditional expectations, Blankbottle is a favourite among adventurous wine lovers, and this tasting showcased why.
An Introduction to Blankbottle Winery
Before diving into the wines, we learned about Pieter Walser’s fascinating journey. He began his winemaking career by assisting a winemaker in Alsace, one of France’s most prestigious wine regions. His passion for wine then took him across the Atlantic to the USA, where he further honed his skills. Eventually, he formalized his education by studying viticulture and oenology at university, setting the stage for what would become his groundbreaking work with Blankbottle.
A visionary in the South African wine scene, Pieter started Blankbottle Winery in 2004 with a philosophy rooted in freedom and creativity. Rather than adhering to labels or sticking to specific varietals, Pieter has taken a daring approach, often creating wines with no mention of the grape or region on the label. This forces drinkers to focus on the experience of the wine itself—its aroma, flavour, and texture—rather than being swayed by preconceptions.
The Wines: Pure Expression of Terroir
Blankbottle’s winemaking is all about sourcing grapes from different regions across South Africa, including Stellenbosch, Swartland, and Elgin, allowing for a variety of terroirs to shine. His collaboration with highly regarded viticultural managers ensures the sourcing of quality grapes, sustainably farmed, that are expressive of the land they come from.
At the tasting, we were treated to six standout wines that showed this diverse sourcing strategy, each one unique, and expressive of its place of origin.
1. Aasvoël 2022, Verdelho, Stellenbosch,12.5%, £34
This is the oldest Verdelho in the Cape, from a single vineyard situated on the Helderberg, Stellenbosch. Aasvoël an Afrikaans word for a”vulture”. Find the story behind the name here.
Whole bunches’ press must is vinified in concrete egg shape fermenter, as well as old French oak barrels that add a level of complexity and texture. Limited release of 1000 bottles.
Pale lemon colour, on the nose defined aromas of lemon, lime, apple, sherbert and white blossom. On the palate it is dry with high, zingy acidity, medium (-) body and flavours of white pepper and herbs. Medium+ finish. Displaying clean and complex aromas with good balance between acidity and fruit.
2. Kortpad Kaaptoe 2023, Fernão Pires Swartland, 13.5%, £24.50
An interesting take on this Portuguese grape variety that also goes by the name “Maria Gomes”. The grapes are harvested at varying levels of ripeness over three or four different pickings, and are then fermented in a variety of vessels. For example, the first picking will be in concrete eggs, the second picking in amphora, third in old/neutral French oak, etc. The purpose of different pickings is to enhance the acidity levels in an otherwise low acid grape variety and to also add texture.
Pronounced aromatic intensity (think muscat-like) with aromas of ripe peach and quince, chamomile, elderflower and rose petals. Dry, with medium (-) acidity, with medium body and flavours of ginger with a subtle bitterness that is balanced well against the wine’s aromatic complexity. Medium+ finish. An interesting blend of various aroma clusters available here.
3. Orbitofrontal Cortex 2022, Multiblend, Western Cape, 13.5% £32.50
A wine made with bits of almost everything in the cellar, there should be around twelve different varieties. Pieter explained that the making of the wine (and most of his white wines) is all about phenolic expression. It is achieved by deliberately leaving the first press juice exposed to oxygen overnight to promote phenolic oxidation and then allowing the fermentation to begin spontaneously with ambient yeast. You can listen to the interesting story behind this label by clicking here.
Aromas of apple, apricot, peach and nutmeg. Dry on the palate with medium acidity, medium body and an explosion of intense flavours like ginger spice, lemon zest, grapefruit and honey. The complex flavours linger well into a long finish. Complex with depth of flavour and great balance between acidity and flavour components.
4. Master of None 2022, Multiblend, Western Cape, 13.5%, £24.00
Here an 80% red varietal blend (Pinot Noir, Grenache, Cinsault) is blended with 20% white varietal blend (Fernão Pirez, Chenin, Palomino, Weisser Riesling, Crouchen Blanc etc etc).
The result is a medium pink-orange colour. On the nose jammy strawberries, cooked red cherry, redcurrant, fresh raspberry and pomegranate fruit. Dry on the palate with medium+ acidity, low tannin, medium (-) body with a silky mouthfeel filled with red berry fruit, blackcurrant leaf and hints of smoke. Medium (+) finish. Fresh and vibrant and best served chilled.
For an in depth read and a listen on the story behind the wine follow the link here to Pieter’s notes and voice recording.
5. Familiemoord 2022, Grenache, Piekenierskloof 13.5% / £37.50
100% Piekenierskloof Old Vine Grenache Noir. Pieter released this wine – about the extraordinary but true story of how the police thought he killed his son and buried him in a shallow grave in the vacant property next to their house. For a break-down of this unbelievable story alongside the wine making techniques employed in the making of the wine please follow this link.
Pale ruby with garnet highlights and a lively brilliance of colour. Aromas of red cherry, redcurrant, raspberry and potpourri. Dry, with low acidity, medium fine-grained tannins, medium body, with pronounced flavour intensity red berry fruit with dried herbs and hints of cinnamon and nutmeg spice evolving through a long finish. It shows a smooth mouthfeel, great structural balance and fine elegance.
6. Confessions of a White Glove Chaser 2021, Cabernet Franc & Cabernet Sauvignon, Stellenbosch, 14.5% / £35.50
60% Cabernet Franc with 40% Cabernet Sauvignon – all from the lower false bay slopes of the Helderberg. Another great story on Pieter’s creative low-budget strategy in acquiring the grapes for this wine alongside his voice recording can be found here.
For the label Pieter traced the shape of his (at the time) 8-year-old son’s hand and using linocut created the image for the label. The wine, like all his wines, is made, hand bottled and hand labelled – by the colourful people of South Africa.
Deep ruby with aromas of cassis, plum, ripe black cherry, cola, green pepper, cedar, graphite, vanilla and eucalyptus. Dry, with med acidity, high tannins, full bodied and meaty, with pronounced flavours of blackberry, cherry, herbs, cocoa and cinnamon spice that stretch well throughout a long finish. The alcohol is well-integrated and balanced against the fruit concentration. The wine is still developing and can age further in the bottle.
A fantastic evening with Pieter Walser. His winery has gained international recognition, with his wines being highly rated by critics and enjoyed by wine enthusiasts worldwide. Pieter’s innovative approach has positioned Blankbottle as a standout in South Africa’s thriving wine industry. If you are a budding winemaker listen to Pieter’s story and get inspired to start creating wine. His journey from humble beginnings to crafting unique, boundary-pushing wines is a testament to the power of passion, curiosity, and perseverance. Let his experience be your motivation to follow your winemaking dreams and push the limits of what’s possible.
The wines tasted on the evening can be purchased by Swig.co.uk .
If you have a minimum of WSET Level 2 wine qualification, you are welcome to join the Enjoy Discovering Wine Alumni Club, which meets online around six times annually. For more details: Alumni Club.
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