It was one late November evening in 2017, when my then-assistant Julia and myself were blending the initial vintage of Master of None 2017 – and it was no minor feat I can tell you. Master of None is any mixologists’ dream. The 2022 vintage is a blend of no less than 11 cultivars from 8 different wine regions:
– PIEKENIERSKLOOF – Palomino and Grenache noir.
– DARLING – Cinsaut.
– WALKER BAY – Grenache noir.
– WELLINGTON – Grenache noir.
– BREEDEKLOOF – Cinsaut.
– STELLENBOSCH – Chenin blanc, Pinot noir, Verdelho and Chardonnay.
– SWARTLAND – Verdelho, Chenin Blanc and Fernão Pires.
– And finally, for some spice, a very very little bit of ELGIN Weisser Riesling, Semillon and Sauvignon blanc.
With 75% of the wine comprising of lighter-in-style reds, the baseline of the wine is on the lighter side of life. It’s very much still a RED wine in my eyes, but the contribution of the whites to the mid palate is what makes this wine special. You can expect a chilled red that is going to entertain your guests all the way from the swimming pool right through to the main dish where it can hand over the baton to a more suitable contestant.
The Story of Master of None.
As we were sitting there that night in 2017, we were discussing the contents of a very controversial article that had just come out. It was written by a UK wine critic. He was very concerned about this BLANKBOTTLE winery; how could they be making more than 40 different wines in all styles imaginable? He was of FIRM opinion that, in the wine world, one needs to specialize. That you have to choose a direction regarding wine style and stick to it – dissect and improve until the day you die.
For the most part, I agree with him. 99% of wineries own the land they cultivate their grapes on. I, however, started making wine in my friend’s garage. I don’t own land and am therefore not bound to a specific area.
With “MASTER OF NONE” we acknowledge that viewpoints differ. We tell stories of places and people, to inspire and entertain. We might be a “Master of None” in the eyes of the guy steering that specific pen. But from our perspective, we find ourselves in the privileged position of exploring all that South Africa has to offer. To discover, dissect and improve on so many levels for so many years to come.