BLANKbottle Retirement at 65, Darling

The rebellious winemaker Pieter Hauptfleisch Walser started his label BLANKbottle because he was “fed up of tasting wines with fancy labels and wanted to create a wine brand that you could judge only on quality, not looks”. The birth of BLANKBOTTLE was In 2004, a lady came to Pieter. She wanted to buy anything but Shiraz. “I don’t drink Shiraz”, were her exact words. He poured her a glass of wine. She loved it and bought 3 cases. It was a straight Shiraz.

BLANKbottle is breaking every rule in the book. No label has any information about varietals or blends, and yet their wines are found in some of the world’s trendiest and most exclusive restaurants.

Using minimal-intervention winemaking techniques in the cellar enables them to make wines that show individuality. 66 different vineyards – 90 separate fermentations (Concrete egg / Amphora / neutral and new oak) 47 different wines, spontaneous fermentations, each telling its own unique story.