{"products":[{"id":8539347681446,"title":"Luuks Magnum 2024","handle":"luuks-magnum-2024","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is a 100% Stellenbosch Chardonnay.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-07-30T11:54:39+02:00","created_at":"2025-07-30T11:41:21+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":["Chardonnay"],"variants":[{"id":46546479480998,"title":"Luuks 2024","option1":"Luuks 2024","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"8165","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"price":"810.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8539347681446,"created_at":"2025-07-30T11:41:21+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":44653531037862,"created_at":"2025-07-24T14:45:32+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-07-24T14:45:33+02:00","product_id":8539347681446,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/BlankbottleLuuks_1.png?v=1753361133","width":500,"height":1395}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["Luuks 2024"]}]},{"id":8535850844326,"title":"1-Click-Off Magnum 2023","handle":"1-click-off-magnum2023","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e100% Pinot Noir from Elgin - In 2012, I was introduced to a lonely, newly-established 3-clone-combination Pinot Noir Vineyard (12.2km North of Kleinmond as the crow flies). Little did I know what lay ahead for me and this little vineyard. See below for the full story...\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eI started with a clear vision for this wine - only to miss it completely… hence the original name of the wine: 2-CLICKS-OFF. The ‘13 and ‘14 vintages came and went - either down the drain or to a blend. The vineyard then changed ownership and I was out. Lost the vineyard. It happens from time to time. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI’m a firm believer in letting things takes its natural course but this time round it was different. I had the conviction that the vineyard was mine to make wine of. It just needed to mature a bit. So I decided to fight for it. Like back in the day when my now wife dated one of my friends… I didn’t give up and in harvest 2016 I received the long-awaited phone call: do I still want the Pinot? \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBeing so late in the season, the grapes were over-ripe and the vineyard was in a neglected state. But I knew that it was my chance to get my foot back in the door. After harvest, when the dust had settled, we sat down and had a chat. I immediately sensed a change of heart. André van Wyk, the now fully-committed sole owner, had a vision but wasn't sure how to go about it. He was also aiming for a classic Pinot. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSo I took my cue from George Clooney in the OCEAN-8 movie: I needed a team. I approached a guy called Jaco Engelbrecht of Visual Viticulture - an intensely articulated and passionate guy. I introduced Jaco and Andre and immediately there was the proverbial magic in the air. The game was on!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg style=\"margin: 5px 5px 5px 5px; float: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/mcusercontent.com\/20207e7491d110e972ec6af28\/images\/eef310c2-d46f-c308-f08b-fa467ddf0472.jpeg\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/figure\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAndre got so excited that he employed Marthinus and Patric to spend 100% of their time in the vineyard. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWe started to farm (or rather groom) the vineyard intensely. What a journey… In Jaco’s opinion it was going to take 3 years to see results. The goal? To take that 2-clicks-off cannon and slowly pull it into place. Little by little, we nourished the struggling plants by removing any possible competition and nursed them back to life. Reserves were building up bit by bit and we picked the best crop to date. When it landed in the winery, we threw everything at it. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe OCEANS-8 team is of the opinion that we've nailed it. But I disagree. I have a feeling that we are yet to reach the full potential of this prodigal vineyard - and the name of the wine therefore - 1-CLICK-OFF…\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-07-29T11:14:30+02:00","created_at":"2025-07-25T14:09:49+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":["Pinot Noir"],"variants":[{"id":46535769030822,"title":"1-Click-Off 2023","option1":"1-Click-Off 2023","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":null,"requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"price":"795.00","grams":3000,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8535850844326,"created_at":"2025-07-25T14:09:49+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":44557720944806,"created_at":"2025-07-21T10:21:00+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-07-21T10:21:02+02:00","product_id":8535850844326,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/BlankBottleClickOff.png?v=1753086062","width":500,"height":1395}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["1-Click-Off 2023"]}]},{"id":8532166049958,"title":"Frostbite at Westpeak 2024","handle":"frostbite-at-westpeak-2024","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e100% Vine Dried Sauvignon blanc\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9GFIOATeilw?si=jQqtGf8Gjub6aaGf\" title=\"YouTube video player\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-07-21T12:04:34+02:00","created_at":"2025-07-21T12:04:33+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":[],"variants":[{"id":46524078719142,"title":"Default Title","option1":"Default Title","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":null,"requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":false,"price":"595.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8532166049958,"created_at":"2025-07-21T12:04:33+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":44559013773478,"created_at":"2025-07-21T11:46:54+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-07-21T11:46:55+02:00","product_id":8532166049958,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/BlankBottleFrostbiteatWestpeak.png?v=1753091215","width":500,"height":1395}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["Default Title"]}]},{"id":8532143374502,"title":"Pink Bomb 2024","handle":"pink-bomb-2024","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA solid 14.5% alcohol Piekenierskloof Grenache noir Rose, please do not judge the wine by it's alcohol... It is on the high side but the wine is in 100% balance. Fresh as a daisy. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am not sure which one of these 2 wines should be crowned “Worst name of all time”, but I would say that our most-popular-story-to-date-wine, “Familiemoord”, is still one short step ahead of \"The Pink BOMB\".\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday I am not going to tell you the Familiemoord story again (if you haven’t heard it - \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/blankbottle.co.za\/blank_bottle_wines\/familiemoord-2022\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eplease click here\u003c\/a\u003e). But what you might not be aware of is that Familiemoord and The Pink BOMB are in fact relatives, as in REAL family.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey both originate from (in my eyes) the most beautiful wine producing area in South Africa. The Piekenierskloof… 235 km drive from my house and +-800m above sea-level. Massively high sun intensity, cool nights, sandstone soils, dry land bush vines - all ingredients for all-time Grenache.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe grapes for both these wines hit the winery at the same time and we subsequently hand sort through about 5% of the total intake. These go as whole bunches to the bottom of a tank, packed around the tap forming a kind of filter\/sieve. We then take the balance of the grapes, remove the stems and crush the berries allowing the juice to flow freely.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs we add the crushed grapes to the tank, we try not to disturb our initial “grapes-whole-bunch-filter\". The purpose of the “filter\" is to block the movement of the skins and pips to only allow the clear juice to flow towards the tap. At this point in time, the juice for the 2 wines get split up and journey on much different paths.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe allow the free run salmon pink juice, destined for The Pink BOMB, to drain from the tap and pump it into older French oak barrels (this process takes roughly 2 days until 70% of the juice is removed). Fermentation takes place in barrel and the wine is aged on the lees for 10 months before bottling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe remaining 30% of the juice in the original tank as well as the skins and pulp then go through fermentation. During this process, the fibers in the pulp break down and the trapped juice is exposed to the skins. The result: an extracted, perfumy, fine tannin, maximum skin vs juice ratio RED called Familiemoord.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDue to the different sugar levels of the free-run juice vs. pulp as well as the difference in fermentation temperature, the 2 wines differ in alcohol with the rosé being slightly higher (hence the name). BUT please note that the Rosé is still fine and delicate. A wine in balance will always be the name of the game.\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-07-21T11:43:57+02:00","created_at":"2025-07-21T11:43:56+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":[],"variants":[{"id":46524038611110,"title":"Default Title","option1":"Default Title","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":null,"requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"price":"250.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8532143374502,"created_at":"2025-07-21T11:43:56+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":44558854389926,"created_at":"2025-07-21T11:38:15+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-07-21T11:38:16+02:00","product_id":8532143374502,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/BlankBottleThePinkBomb2024.png?v=1753090696","width":500,"height":1395}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["Default Title"]}]},{"id":8532119650470,"title":"Oorbegin 2024","handle":"oorbegin-2024","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA field blend of: over 40 year old Chenin blanc bushvines and young Piquepoul blanc, Petit Manseng, Semillon, Macabeo, Pallomino and Grillo - OORBEGIN (directly translated it means “START-OVER”, referring to a new beginning for the vineyard.) Please listen to the voice note below.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI received a phone call from a (very excited) good friend and viticulturist Jaco Engelbrecht. He was standing in the veld with one of his clients, Andre du Toit, who had just purchased a farm in the Voor-Paardeberg.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn their walk, they had just stumbled upon a lone vine. Upon further investigation they discovered more vines - growing on the forest floor, into trees etc. The interesting thing was that they seemed to be planted in rows - all pointing to the fact that at some stage this had been a commercial vineyard.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAndre, being the new owner, then phoned up the previous farmer. It then transpired that 40 years before the owner had planted that block of Chenin blanc with the goal of producing grapes for the closest big cooperative winery. He had farmed the vineyard successfully for 15 years, whereafter the crop declined and he had made the decision to stop farming the vineyard, as it hadn’t been financially viable anymore.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut instead of removing the vines, he had just left them there. They grew in the bushes for 25 years. He never pruned or harvested them - they were just completely abandoned, with no irrigation, growing into trees totally in the wild.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe reason for my friend Jaco’s call? They wanted to know if I'd be interested in buying the grapes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd so the project started. Jaco and Andre started by tidying up the vineyard and removing the plants between the vines that were still alive. The vines had not been pruned for 25 years and this resulted in no thick arms like you would get in commercially-farmed bush vine vineyards. They were thin and flimsy. After a very light pruning in winter, the first crop was ready in 2018. We made 1 barrel from the grapes it produced. OORBEGIN (directly translated it means “START-OVER”, referring to a new beginning for the vineyard.)\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-07-29T11:47:26+02:00","created_at":"2025-07-21T11:18:11+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":[],"variants":[{"id":46523985821862,"title":"Default Title","option1":"Default Title","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":null,"requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":false,"price":"310.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8532119650470,"created_at":"2025-07-21T11:18:12+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":44558266532006,"created_at":"2025-07-21T11:03:24+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-07-21T11:03:26+02:00","product_id":8532119650470,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/BlankBottleOorbegin24.png?v=1753088606","width":500,"height":1395}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["Default Title"]}]},{"id":8517965217958,"title":"My Koffer 2017","handle":"my-koffer-2017","body_html":"\u003cp\u003eToday, 7 vintages down the line, I’m releasing the new mykoffer 2017 - a straight Breedekloof Cinsaut - with cherries and strawberries, it has a feminine elegance to it with a surprisingly intense personality - So with all the emotions connected to a first love, I present “My TASSENBERG”, “My TAS\" - BLANKbottle mykoffer 2017 - a suitcase full of memories.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs we move along in this adventure called life, we're (hopefully) increasingly exposed to fine and fascinating wines. We forget quickly and the days of getting excited when opening a bottle of Tassenberg is long gone. So it was then, that in February 1994 I walked into Western Cape Liquor Store in Stellenbosch and bought my first bottle of TAS for R3.50. In the (student) years to follow, I partook in a lot of Tassenberg drinking (to put it mildly).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll that drinking gave me ample opportunity for reflection and I came to the conclusion that I wasn't particularly fond of the whole wine, but there was one flavour component in the wine which I loved. That flavour component reminded me of fresh strawberries - a sweet, green, wholesome sort of freshness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1997 I completed a month-long harvest stint in the (then) capital city of Tassenberg - Eersterivier Wine Cellar, Stellenbosch. We literally made hundreds of thousands of litres of Tassenberg. This is where the light went on for me and I finally identified the grape which produces my mysterious fresh strawberry component. It was Cinsaut! Ever since then I’d had the dream of producing a Cinsaut that tastes exactly the way I would like to remember TAS. The first straight Cinsaut I bottled was in 2007 - a Wellington Cinsaut as part of the Educational Range. The wine was good but not exactly the style I was after.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot long thereafter, I received a tip-off from a well-respected winemaker friend about a little Cinsaut vineyard located in the lesser-known Breedekloof Valley. At that stage, the grapes went to a big cooperative winery where it basically disappeared into cheap red blends. So I took the plunge and bought some grapes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCinsaut is known as a varietal which produces lots of grapes per hectare. Besides the fact that Cinsaut has huge bunches, it also has massive berries. You therefore have much less skin-versus-juice contact and therefore end up with a lighter coloured (red) wine. I had the grapes ferment in small open-top French oak barrels and aged it in the same barrels for a year before being bottled.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday, 7 vintages down the line, I’m releasing the new Mykoffer 2018 - a straight Breedekloof Cinsaut - with cherries and strawberries, it has a feminine elegance to it with a surprisingly intense personality - So with all the emotions connected to a first love, I present “My TASSENBERG”, “My TAS\" - BLANKbottle mykoffer 2017 - a suitcase full of memories.\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-07-01T10:55:53+02:00","created_at":"2025-07-01T10:55:53+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":[],"variants":[{"id":46471949484198,"title":"My Koffer 2013","option1":"My Koffer 2013","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"6332","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":false,"price":"0.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8517965217958,"created_at":"2025-07-01T10:55:53+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":43876972101798,"created_at":"2025-06-28T08:56:38+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-06-28T08:56:38+02:00","product_id":8517965217958,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-My-Koffer-17-copy-e1569918399789_14ba05a1-b49a-447a-bae7-0f6a28acae57.png?v=1751093798","width":500,"height":1395}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["My Koffer 2013"]}]},{"id":8515512238246,"title":"Confessions of a White Glove Chaser 2021","handle":"white-glove-chaser-2021","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn short, 60% Cabernet franc with 40% Cabernet Sauvignon - all from the lower false bay slopes of the Helderberg.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor a start, you have to realise that at the time (2013) I didn't have a budget for a vineyard consultant. So I was forced to be creative. Strategic vineyard-site selection is where all wine begins. I was mostly focussed on many unusual varietals of which there were very little on offer, so in a way it made it easy to choose a site. You take what you can get.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut I wanted to start making Bordeaux - stuff like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. The Helderberg has many plantings but I didn’t have a clue how to separate the chaff from the wheat. And no money to pay someone to do it for me.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo this one particular day I was driving past a vineyard and saw something strange: the picking team was wearing white surgical gloves! I pulled off the road and asked the pickers who they were picking for. At the time there were rumours going round about these guys and I knew that they were spending obscene amounts of cash on local and international consultants in areas like viticulture and soil science - basically terroir fundi's. Their ultimate goal: to sift through the huge amount of Bordeaux vineyards on offer to pick only the very best. So I asked the farmer if I could buy the grapes as close as possible to the piece going to the White Gloves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is my confession about how I started chasing the White Gloves. Where they bought, I bought as close to them as possible. Sometimes right next to them. It was that simple. My creative low-budget strategy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe label:\u003c\/strong\u003e I traced the shape of my (at the time) 8-year-old son's hand and using linography, created the image for the label. The wine, like all my wines: made, hand bottled and hand labeled - by the colourful people of South Africa\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-06-28T09:59:41+02:00","created_at":"2025-06-28T09:59:41+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":["Cabernet Franc","Cabernet Sauvignon"],"variants":[{"id":46464893321382,"title":"Confessions of a White Glove Chaser 2021","option1":"Confessions of a White Glove Chaser 2021","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"6861","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"price":"410.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8515512238246,"created_at":"2025-06-28T09:59:42+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":43877059559590,"created_at":"2025-06-28T09:03:47+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-06-28T09:03:47+02:00","product_id":8515512238246,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Confessions-of-a-White-Glove-Chaser-22.png?v=1751094227","width":500,"height":1395}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["Confessions of a White Glove Chaser 2021"]}]},{"id":8515511550118,"title":"Moment of Silence 2023","handle":"moment-of-silence-2023","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is an all out Wellington warm climate blend of a bush-vine high altitude Chenin blanc vineyard, an old bush-vine Chenin on the valley floor with some Viognier. Please note that we usually have Grenache blanc in this wine as well. But I was not happy with the Grenache of 2023 so I did not use it in the blend.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt tastings I often get the question: \"How do you conceptualise new wines?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough normally a firm believer in strategic planning, when it comes to new wines, I plan NOT to plan. You can never force a wine, you just need to follow the road you're on. The journey normally starts with a friend, which typically leads to another friend, new areas and vineyards. Ultimately I end up with a wine that expresses the journey more than the actual destination, a combination of these people and their habitat.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe perfect example of such a wine is the \u003cstrong\u003eMoment of Silence\u003c\/strong\u003e. It's been a journey of epic proportion from the first vintage in 2007 until today - the release of the 2021 vintage. It all started off with a friend, Jan de Villiers, who took me to Wellington to meet a farmer. To be honest, I wasn't too keen on the area at first but by lunchtime that day I had completely changed my view. What made that meeting so significant in hindsight, was that I was unknowingly about to buy grapes from a farm originally owned by my direct family 7 generations ago and our meeting that day took place around the original Hauptfleisch dining room table owned by my family! It was only after 2 vintages of buying these grapes and making Moment of Silence, that my mom discovered this whilst doing a family tree - quite a confirmation don't you think?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBoberg\u003c\/strong\u003e: This vineyard grows on top of the Groenberg mountain in Wellington in decomposed granite. It was a neglected bush vine Chenin blanc vineyard that was recently resurrected and now being converted into an organically farmed parcel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHangbal\u003c\/strong\u003e: A super old bush-vine Chenin blanc that grows on the lower slopes on the northern side of the Groenberg. Works really well and I foresee a promising future for this component.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTaaiboslaagte\u003c\/strong\u003e: And the last 7% of the wine is made up of a conventionally farmed Viognier Vineyard.Fermentation took place spontaneously in various vessels - Concrete egg shaped tanks, Amphore and older French oak. Aged for 8 months on the lees blended and bottled.\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-06-28T09:58:19+02:00","created_at":"2025-06-28T09:58:19+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":["Chenin Blanc","Viognier"],"variants":[{"id":46464892174502,"title":"Moment of Silence 2023","option1":"Moment of Silence 2023","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"7766","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":false,"price":"235.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8515511550118,"created_at":"2025-06-28T09:58:20+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":43876965941414,"created_at":"2025-06-28T08:55:55+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-06-28T08:55:55+02:00","product_id":8515511550118,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Moment-of-Silence-2023_71c239e7-2bf3-4c74-980f-deacc1744876.png?v=1751093755","width":500,"height":1395}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["Moment of Silence 2023"]}]},{"id":8515511484582,"title":"Moment of Silence 2018","handle":"moment-of-silence-2018","body_html":"\u003cp\u003eSince it’s maiden vintage in 2007, this wine changed quite a lot. In 2007, it was a blend of Chardonnay, Chenin blanc and Viognier - 3 vineyards. The 2018 vintage however, consists of 5 components - 3 Chenin blanc vineyards called Boberg, Spogblok and Draai-Draai as well as Grenache Blanc and Viognier.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e-\u003cstrong\u003eBoberg\u003c\/strong\u003e: This vineyard grows on top of the Groenberg mountain in Wellington in decomposed granite. It was an old neglected bush vine Chenin blanc vineyard that was recently resurrected and converted into an organically farmed parcel. For many years there were no irrigation, but from this year on we started irrigating a little bit. It is very dry on the mountain so this vineyard needs water, especially in these drought-stricken times.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e-Spogblok\u003c\/strong\u003e: This vineyard grows below Boberg and is in the region of 60 years old. Due to the fact that it is a trellised vineyard, it is raised from the ground and can therefore handle its own herd of sheep. In 2018 it was a bit of a disaster, the sheep ate most of the leaves in the bunch zone. So the 2018 has no Spogblok in the final blend. It was substituted by a younger Chenin blanc vineyard growing on the Western side of the Groenberg. We call it block N. It is a younger conventional-farmed parcel and not something that we will keep on using. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e-Draai-Draai\u003c\/strong\u003e: This vineyard is a trellised vineyard in a little valley on the western slope of the Boberg. It is a great component and produce extracted, dense full-bodied wines. It grows in decomposed granite and was also now converted into an organically farmed block. But this will only be effective from the 2019 vintage onwards. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese three Vineyards make up about 75% of the final blend. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e-The next 20% is made up of a younger, organically farmed, irrigated\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGrenache Blanc\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003evineyard on the lower slopes of the Groenberg. In 2018, we started to experiment with different fermentation styles. Specifically with the Grenache we tried some skin fermented parcels and it turned out really good - the idea is to add some tannin and texture to the final blend.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e-And the last 5% of the wine is made up of a conventionally farmed Vineyard next to the Grenache.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll the components were fermented in old French Oak barrels 225, 300, 400 and 500L.  Spontaneous fermentation with 1-year aged on the Lees. Moment of Silence is our largest production at present and we produced about 9000 bottles of the 2018. It is arguably our most successful wine. \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-06-28T09:58:17+02:00","created_at":"2025-06-28T09:58:17+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":["Chenin Blanc","Grenache blanc","Viognier"],"variants":[{"id":46464892108966,"title":"Moment of Silence 2018","option1":"Moment of Silence 2018","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"5040","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":false,"price":"0.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8515511484582,"created_at":"2025-06-28T09:58:17+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":43876964368550,"created_at":"2025-06-28T08:55:44+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-06-28T08:55:44+02:00","product_id":8515511484582,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Moment-of-Silence_30e90ad1-023d-4585-b245-bd2249959597.png?v=1751093744","width":300,"height":837}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["Moment of Silence 2018"]}]},{"id":8515511189670,"title":"Manon des Sources 2020","handle":"manon-des-sources-2020","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eManon des Sources - a 2020 white blend of Weisser Riesling, Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Story \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI know this is a more lengthy release than usual, but this is one story that needs to be told in detail - it’s one of those that, looking back, I can just shake my head in disbelief at how it turned out.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eManon des Sources - a 2012 \u003c\/strong\u003e(yes a 6 year old!) bottle aged white blend of Weisser Riesling, Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the Elgin Valley, as a passion project, the owner of a mainly fruit farm planted 3 vineyards - Weisser Riesling Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2012 I took over the grapes from the previous buyer and made my DOC - a white blend of Weisser Riesling, Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc - a wine which represents this little mountainous outcrop. The soil varies immensely from reddish sandstone to granite and clay. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter bottling my version (DOC 2012)  the owner of the farm asked me if I could bottle a version of the same wine for him for his private consumption or to sell to his friends. Fast forward 7 years and he never got round to selling a bottle. So I bought it all back. I released it and it sold out in a flash. I mean, where do you find a 7-year old bottle-aged white from South Africa? Andre then told me that he had more. The previous buyer of the grapes had also made a white blend for him. A 2010! A dense, rich but fresh 9 year old white wine. What an experience! To taste a 2010 Weisser Riesling blend from South Africa is priceless.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“But isn't it way too risky to name a wine Manon des Sources?” my wife asked me. Of course she was right. It’s a brand name owned by somebody somewhere, but the chances of me, here at the tip of Africa with a small batch of wine registering on their radar was very slim. So slim that I was willing to take the risk… \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eManon des Sources (Manon of the Spring) is a 1966 two-volume novel by Marcel Pagnol and tells the story of a lady living in a small village on the outskirts of Marseille. It's a very famous story and they subsequently made 2 films about the book. I would never have known about the book if it wasn’t for my Swiss friend, Eric, who started calling our daughter, Alexa, Manon des Sources. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlexa and the main character looked so alike: you see, for the first six years of Alexa’s life she did not like to have any fabric in contact with her skin. So my mother-in-law started making these long dresses of very thin soft material. She would wear one dress for about 6 months (day and night), then some nights she’d allow us to wash it and we had to make sure it’s ready for the next morning. Once that particular dress was completely worn out, full of holes, we had to get her into a new one - which was a nightmare to adjust to. She also never combed her hair and never wore shoes. In short: Alexa looked exactly like the lead actress in Manon des Sources.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter this particular wine had been bottled, it was Alexa’s turn to design a label (they all get a turn to design a label and I pay them per bottle sold) and she subsequently made a self-sketch with her in her dress and wild hair flying all over. The name of the wine could not have been anything other than Manon des Sources.\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-06-28T09:58:05+02:00","created_at":"2025-06-28T09:58:05+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":["Sauvignon blanc","Sémillon","Weisser Riesling"],"variants":[{"id":46464891650214,"title":"Manon des Sources 2020","option1":"Manon des Sources 2020","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"5898","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":false,"price":"0.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8515511189670,"created_at":"2025-06-28T09:58:05+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":43876952768678,"created_at":"2025-06-28T08:54:46+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-06-28T08:54:46+02:00","product_id":8515511189670,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Manon-Des-Sources.png?v=1751093686","width":300,"height":837}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["Manon des Sources 2020"]}]},{"id":8515511091366,"title":"Luuks 2021","handle":"luuks-2021","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan id=\"bb_quick_overview\"\u003eThis is a 100% Stellenbosch Chardonnay.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-06-28T09:58:00+02:00","created_at":"2025-06-28T09:58:00+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":["Chardonnay"],"variants":[{"id":46464891584678,"title":"Luuks 2021","option1":"Luuks 2021","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"5816","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":false,"price":"0.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8515511091366,"created_at":"2025-06-28T09:58:00+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":43876948639910,"created_at":"2025-06-28T08:54:29+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-06-28T08:54:29+02:00","product_id":8515511091366,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blankbottle-Luuks_d3a4eee9-bd40-474c-8ac8-10634c0191cb.png?v=1751093669","width":500,"height":1395}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["Luuks 2021"]}]},{"id":8515511058598,"title":"Little William 2022","handle":"little-william-2022","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis wine is a great example of what Shiraz at 750 m above sea level can do. The wine is named after my chance meeting with a little boy called William on the Witzenberg mountains. It’s been a fascinating story from the start, but became even more bizarre at the end of last year, with another chance meeting.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EnNMtvfu13E?si=BFobKnuDxRLQDQsQ\" title=\"YouTube video player\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cspan id=\"about_wine_body\"\u003eIn January 2016, I was driving back from a tiny little vineyard in the Koue Bokkeveld (Ceres Plateau). Cruising along at the 100km\/h speed limit, I came to a very winding stretch of road leading towards the Witzenberg pass. Suddenly, for a split second, I thought I saw something in the middle of the road. I had just come through a super sharp bend and had to jump on the brakes with both feet. When I finally got my 470 000-km-on-the-clock Toyota to stop, there, on the white line in the middle of the road, stood a little blonde boy. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan id=\"about_wine_body\"\u003eI guessed him around a year and a half old. He was in his nappies and had a white T-shirt on, perfectly camouflaged on the white line. Unsure of what to do once I'd taken him out of the road, I thought it a good plan to prompt him and see which direction he takes off in (with myself of course right behind).   \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan id=\"about_wine_body\"\u003eAbout 200 meters further along the road he (we) crossed a little bridge heading towards the other side of the canal. He turned up a dirt road which led to a farmhouse about 300 meters up a hill. Keeping up to his snail-like pace, we arrived at the house more or less 10 minutes later (in my experience with farm dogs, it wouldn’t have been wise to carry him). When the gardener saw us approaching, he called out to a woman at the house and judging by her reaction, she must’ve been his mom and he must’ve been missing for a while.   It was a bit of an emotional and chaotic environment so, knowing he was safe, I just turned around and left without introducing myself.   \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan id=\"about_wine_body\"\u003eSo each time I present a tasting with Little William wine as part of the line-up, I get the same question: “Why is it called, Little William?”, followed almost without fail by: “What does the family have to say about you calling a wine, Little William?” My answer is always the same: “I never went back, they don't even know the wine exists. But I am convinced there will be this one day where I’d be sitting at some local bar in Knysna, drinking a beer all by myself when the young guy next to me turns to me and introduces himself as William from Ceres.\" And I’ll be able to tell him: “Eendag, lank, lank gelede het hierdie oom jou lewe gered!”   \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan id=\"about_wine_body\"\u003eFor 4 years I had the privilege of telling the story of little William. Until last year. When Chapter 2 happened.   In November, we took our youngest son for a minor operation at Panorama Mediclinic, Tygerberg, Cape Town. The lady at reception looked at us with a puzzled look on her face. We later learnt that there had been a mistake on the paperwork and they were under the impression that he was an adult. They had subsequently booked him into an adult ward. The man next to him had drunk a cup of coffee at 6:00am that morning with milk in. His operation therefore had to be postponed and he obviously missed his theatre time slot. He had to wait almost the whole day for the next slot. He and Sebastian eventually left for the theatre at more or less the same time. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan id=\"about_wine_body\"\u003eI went to get us a cup of coffee, and as she always does, Aneen started making conversation with the milk-in-the-coffee guy’s wife. On my return Aneen said: ”They are from Ceres, tell her the little William story.” I cringed, thinking: \"Why would I do that??\" I tried to let her comment slide and filled the awkward silence with useless words. We carried on with the small talk and she ended up telling us that she is a vet and her husband is a farmer. “Where do you farm in Ceres?”, I asked. “In the Witzenberg mountains, on a farm called Blah-blah-blah”, she answered.   And, as you’ve probably guessed by now, that was the name of the farm where I dropped little William that morning. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan id=\"about_wine_body\"\u003eIt started dawning on me that it might be my Knysna-bar-thing moment happening in a totally bizarre, different way. “Do you have a son called William?” I asked. “No”, she replied, “but my nephew is called William and they live on the same farm, in the house next to the road.” We did the sums and he would’ve been exactly 1 and a half years at the time. So it turns out it wasn't a beer-in-hand pub in Knysna, but a coffee-in-hand hospital in Cape Town. I should've listened to Aneen right from the start... so I told her the whole story and she phoned her sister-in-law. “Did you ever lose William on the farm?” she asked (I don’t think that’s the type of story you volunteer to tell your extended family if not prompted). “Yes”, she said. “There was this one day…”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-06-28T09:57:58+02:00","created_at":"2025-06-28T09:57:58+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":["Syrah"],"variants":[{"id":46464891551910,"title":"Little William 2022","option1":"Little William 2022","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"6956","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"price":"410.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8515511058598,"created_at":"2025-06-28T09:57:58+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":79808242286758,"created_at":"2026-09-09T15:37:51+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2026-09-09T15:37:52+02:00","product_id":8515511058598,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank_Bottle_Little_William_22_copy_1.png?v=1788961072","width":500,"height":1395}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["Little William 2022"]}]},{"id":8515511025830,"title":"Kortpad Kaaptoe 2019","handle":"kortpad-kaaptoe-2019","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e100% Fernao Pires a.k.a Maria Gomez PLEASE NOTE: There are 2 bottlings of Kortpad Kaaptoe!!! One with a white and gold label (refined version) and one with a black and gold label (a bodybuilder). In the beginning years I had no idea how to make Fernao Pirez. So I picked when the grapes were fully ripe. Resulting is hugely expressive, larger framed wines. Not massive in a bad way, just excessive. Over the years, as I got to know the varietal better, we started picking in three batches. An early, mid and late batch. Kortpad Kaaptoe became elegant. The people who like these wines were very different to the ones who like the largely framed version. And this resulted in the request for the return of the body builder. So here you have it: the black and gold label - Properly muscular.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Story\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn August 2011, on a farm somewhere between Darling and Hopefield on the West Coast of South Africa, I was visiting a block of grapes, Carignan. I received a SMS from someone who needed me to be in Cape Town within the next hour. Being in the middle of nowhere, I asked the farmer the quickest way to Cape Town. In Afrikaans (one of the 11 official languages of South Africa), the \"kortpad Kaaptoe\". He said that I needed to drive towards the Carignan, past the Shiraz and Fernao Pirez....\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"The FERNAO WHAT???\", I asked him? \"Fernao Pirez\" he replied. Bush vines, unirrigated, planted by his grandfather 38 years before. So, on my shortest way to Cape Town (the \"kortpad kaaptoe\"), I found Fernao Pirez. A varietal I had never tasted wine of and something I never knew existed in South Africa. And that brings me to something so very important to me.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI love interesting, true stories. So if I find a story like this, a bit of family history stumbled upon on my shortest route to Cape Town, I want to tell that story, disguised as a bottle of wine. So it is not ONLY about the wine. In life everything needs to be seen in context. If you take things out of context, wine becomes one dimensional and boring in a way.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe label: Linocut of AC\/DC inspired font. Printed on real organics paper with as much gold bling as possible. Labels are hand applied with old-style wet glue technique. Please note that the label will slip off the bottle when it gets wet. The label is as natural as the wine inside the bottle.\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-06-28T09:57:51+02:00","created_at":"2025-06-28T09:57:51+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":["Fernoa Pires"],"variants":[{"id":46464891519142,"title":"Kortpad Kaaptoe 2019","option1":"Kortpad Kaaptoe 2019","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"5606","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":false,"price":"0.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8515511025830,"created_at":"2025-06-28T09:57:51+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":43876935467174,"created_at":"2025-06-28T08:53:53+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-06-28T08:53:53+02:00","product_id":8515511025830,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Kortpad-Kaaptoe-2-point-0-21_b23ea081-229d-4eb0-9db7-790ca1c252f7.png?v=1751093633","width":500,"height":1395}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["Kortpad Kaaptoe 2019"]}]},{"id":8515510960294,"title":"Sewejaartjie 2021","handle":"kol-kol-2021","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan id=\"bb_quick_overview\"\u003ea 100% Grenache noir from the foothills of the Houwhoek mountains - Botrivier. The wine is on the light side of the spectrum but still heavier than all our other Grenache. Again, a very individual expression of the Van der Stel pass.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn July 2021 Aneen and myself were sitting on the stoep of our little Botrivier breakaway pod on the foothills of the Houw Hoek Mountains in the Overberg, when all of a sudden we heard a lion roar. Botrivier is known for many wonderful things, but being home to the Big 5 is definitely not one of them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe pods at Kol-Kol are booked out at least a year in advance and if you’ve ever been there you’ll understand why. We, on the other hand, are on the more spontaneous side of things when it comes to having fun, so getting on any type of list is a bit problematic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack in the day I bought some Tinta Barocca from Botrivier and the wine turned out to be a great showman for the area. Since then, I have been keeping my eyes open for a way back into that part of the country. Then in 2020, a late night internet-advert put me into contact with Jo, a fired-up lawyer from Cape Town who farms 2 small vineyards on his property in the Van Der Stel pass (Botrivier) at the entrance of the famous Kol-Kol Lodge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhilst picking the Sewejaartjie Grenache noir vineyard in 2021, Jo mentioned that if I ever needed to get onto the last minute cancellation list of Kol-Kol, I should let him know and he’ll see what he can do. And that is how we ended up on that Kruger-National-Park-soundtrack stoep. Turns out that a neighbouring farm owns a lion (as you do).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSewejaartjie - a 100% Grenache noir from that vineyard. The wine is on the light side of the spectrum but still heavier than all our other Grenache. Again, a very individual expression of the Van der Stel pass.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe name Sewejaartjie: After our awesome weekend I was speaking to my UK importer Damon and it turns out that he got engaged at one of the Kol-Kol cabins named Sewejaartjie. In English, the name translates to \"The everlasting daisy\" or just “everlastings” - a famous fynbos flower found in the area that, as its name implies, lasts forever when dried and stored properly. Quite a fitting way to start a marriage I would say.\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-07-14T14:08:35+02:00","created_at":"2025-06-28T09:57:48+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":[],"variants":[{"id":46464891453606,"title":"KOL-KOL 2021","option1":"KOL-KOL 2021","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"5799","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":false,"price":"0.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8515510960294,"created_at":"2025-06-28T09:57:48+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":43877019123878,"created_at":"2025-06-28T09:00:14+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-06-28T09:00:14+02:00","product_id":8515510960294,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Jan-Sewejaartjie-2021_145665ec-6a10-4c3f-a26c-5a4afedcb4b8.png?v=1751094014","width":1181,"height":3296}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["KOL-KOL 2021"]}]},{"id":8515510894758,"title":"Jimmy 2023","handle":"jimmy-2023","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJimmy is 100% Verdelho from the Voor-Paardeberg.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eA couple of decades ago a guy called Polla Brand drove the first Suzuki Jimny into South Africa from Namibia. The car ended up with a family member on a farm in the Voor Paardeberg. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCome winter, the other vehicles struggled in the mud and slippery clay but the Suzuki, with its short wheelbase, cruised through really difficult terrain. Immediately gaining respect. From then on, the farmer, his son and his grandson (the current farmer) only drives Suzuki 4x4’s on the farm. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe current farmer also happens to be the Western Cape champion, racing in the Dunes along the West Coast of South Africa - with his little hyped-up supercharged Suzuki - hence the inspiration for the label. Verdelho is a really interesting variety to farm with in South Africa.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIt loves heat and has this unique characteristic of maintaining high acid levels in really ripe conditions. This is a variety that you need to keep an eye on during harvest. It gains sugar at an immense rate with the challenge of picking it before it gets too ripe.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-06-28T09:57:44+02:00","created_at":"2025-06-28T09:57:44+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":["Verdelho"],"variants":[{"id":46464891322534,"title":"Jimmy 2023","option1":"Jimmy 2023","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"7927","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":false,"price":"310.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8515510894758,"created_at":"2025-06-28T09:57:44+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":43876928946342,"created_at":"2025-06-28T08:53:12+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-06-28T08:53:12+02:00","product_id":8515510894758,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Jimny-2016-copy-e1569507867846_e06a06d0-b520-49d8-ac18-1aa0859aca8e.png?v=1751093592","width":500,"height":1395}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["Jimmy 2023"]}]},{"id":8515510730918,"title":"Flavour Zone 2021","handle":"flavour-zone-2021","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBlend of Swartland Mourvedre and Botrivier Syrah.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-06-28T09:57:24+02:00","created_at":"2025-06-28T09:57:24+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":[],"variants":[{"id":46464891060390,"title":"Flavour Zone 2021","option1":"Flavour Zone 2021","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"6919","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":false,"price":"0.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8515510730918,"created_at":"2025-06-28T09:57:24+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":44338758910118,"created_at":"2025-07-16T15:37:12+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-07-16T15:37:13+02:00","product_id":8515510730918,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Flavour-Zone-2022.png?v=1752673033","width":500,"height":1395}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["Flavour Zone 2021"]}]},{"id":8515510698150,"title":"Familiemoord 2023","handle":"familiemoord-2023","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e100% Piekenierskloof Grenache Noir -2013, I released a wine called Familiemoord - a wine about the extraordinary but true story of how the police thought I killed my son and buried him in a shallow grave in the vacant property next to our house. The Cape Argus' article on 11 May 2013 about the incident titled “The mystery of the boy in the sandpit” serves as this wine’s label.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cspan id=\"about_wine_body\"\u003eOctober 2013 Last night, at 6 pm, my wife's phone rang while I was doing a Pilates session (my wife is a Pilates instructor) in our living room wearing an old t-shirt and pajama pants. It was the lady that moved into our previous house just a few blocks away. \"Are you OK?\",she asked my wife. \"What's going on in your street? The whole place is full of police\". \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan id=\"about_wine_body\"\u003eI ran out into the street and she was right – there were police vans parked bumper to bumper from right in front of our house, right down to the end of the street and around the corner! A yellow police crime-scene ribbon was spun around our neighbouring 7 erf property, police standing almost shoulder to shoulder and people from the area streaming in to get their piece of the action. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan id=\"about_wine_body\"\u003eNow this huge property's been vacant and for sale for many years. It is slightly run down at the moment, and the cause of much concern for the neighbours. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan id=\"about_wine_body\"\u003e\"What's going on?\", I asked my other neighbour. Neighbour: \"No one wants to say\". As I made my way through the crowd, I could see one policeman patrolling the crime scene with the help of his German Shepard. Being the direct neighbour to the property, I was directed to an inspector not dressed in police clothing. \"There's been a murder”, he said. \"Goodness...\" I replied. Inspector: \"Yes, a man allegedly killed a child with a spade and buried him in a shallow grave\". \"Goodness...\" I replied. Me: \"When did this happen?\". It sort of looked like he was getting irritated with me and he reluctantly replied: \"Saturday\".\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan id=\"about_wine_body\"\u003e As my mind started to add up a few things (thinking maybe this is where I should just keep silent and walk away), I asked the next question: \"Where did he bury the child?\" Inspector: \"You see where the dog's at? right there\". \"OOOOPSSSS\", I replied, \"that was me...\" \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan id=\"about_wine_body\"\u003eYou see, on Saturday I had decided to build a sandpit for my 3 little ones to play in. The closest and most convenient place to get pure white sand from was under the grass of the vacant property right next to me. So I neatly removed blocks of grass with my spade (the size of, come to think of it now, a small grave) until the white sand was exposed. I then dug a hole and transferred the sand to the sand pit on my property, replacing the sand with soil I dug up from the sand pit. Just before I started to close the 1.5 meter deep hole however, my 7-year-old son, Luca, jumped into the hole and covered himself with soil. I joined in the fun and continued to throw the rest of the soil on him until only his head stuck out. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan id=\"about_wine_body\"\u003eWhat we didn't notice at that point was the shocked faces of a few boys from the neighbourhood passing on their bikes at that very moment.... What they didn't see of course, was how Luca then wiggled his way out and I closed the hole and replaced the grass patches - very neatly so that no one could see I was there. These very upset children drove straight home telling the one kid’s mom that a guy with long blonde hair killed a boy with a spade and is busy burying him in a shallow grave, at the vacant property in Brand Street. Initially she brushed them off, but after a sleepless night with hysterical children, she decided to investigate - and discovered the suspicious shallow grave, just as they said. So she phoned the police who came out to the property and suddenly: CRIME SCENE... \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan id=\"about_wine_body\"\u003ePoliceman: \"So you are the guy with the long blonde hair!\". I (still dressed in my pajama pants) confirmed the size of my son and he shouted to everyone: \"Pack up guys, we found the suspect\". Don't be surprised if my next wine is called \"child killer\" or “sandpit”.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-06-28T09:57:21+02:00","created_at":"2025-06-28T09:57:21+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":["Grenache Nior"],"variants":[{"id":46464891027622,"title":"Familiemoord 2023","option1":"Familiemoord 2023","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"7874","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":false,"price":"330.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8515510698150,"created_at":"2025-06-28T09:57:21+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":43876896932006,"created_at":"2025-06-28T08:50:52+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-06-28T08:50:52+02:00","product_id":8515510698150,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Familiemoord-23-copy.png?v=1751093452","width":500,"height":1395}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["Familiemoord 2023"]}]},{"id":8515510599846,"title":"Educational Range: Mourvèdre 2007","handle":"educational-range-mourvedre-2007","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is a single cultivar wine. 100% Mourvèdre 2007 and forms part of the Spaniard Educational range...\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe second wine in the Educational range: BLANKbottle Mourvèdre 2007. In \"The Spaniard 2007\" it is a potent component - not necessarily in volume, but in sheer power. You can therefore expect pure power from the Mourvèdre 2007..., the backbone of the Spaniard. If you do not already know of the educational range, please read below.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn August 2009, I released a wine called The Spaniard. The Spaniard is a blend of 42% Mourvèdre, 24% Carignan, 24% Grenache and 10% Cinsaut. An unique wine, which I personally feel was a breakthrough for BLANKbottle in terms of innovation. After the first bottling I had enough wine left in barrel for a second bottling. I then had a choice: I could either bottle a second batch along the same lines as the first Spaniard or I could go for something very different. It was a freezing cold winter evening I had to make a final decision. My second child, our little girl Alexa, had just been born and my wife (and tasting partner) went to bed early. I, on the other hand, got into the bath with four little plastic wine barrel sample bottles, a bottle of The Spaniard, a measuring cylinder, a couple of wine tasting glasses as well as a big tasting glass. I arranged everything around the edge of the bath in a way that I could reach everything from a lying position.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter a long evening of tasting, mixing and measuring I came to a decision which goes against my own personal preference in wine: bottling them all as single varietals. In my opinion, each of the components is exceptional and of the best expression of that specific cultivar that I've tasted . Besides that, I know it'll get you talking! So I've bottled each of the cultivars separately, by hand straight from barrel, unfiltered and unfined. I ended up with four very limited batches of wine I now call: the Educational Range, parts 1 - 4. Initially my plan was to expose you to and teach you the differences in each of these eccentric varietals. Now, after six months in bottle, these wines have matured and grown into four spectacular wines in their own right. I know that the whole is supposed to be better than the sum of the parts, but trust me in this case: each part is spectacular - The Carignan, Mourvèdre, Grenache and the Cinsaut.\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-06-28T09:57:11+02:00","created_at":"2025-06-28T09:57:11+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":[],"variants":[{"id":46464890831014,"title":"Educational Range: Mourvèdre 2007","option1":"Educational Range: Mourvèdre 2007","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"4829","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":false,"price":"0.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8515510599846,"created_at":"2025-06-28T09:57:11+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":44336910794918,"created_at":"2025-07-16T14:05:37+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-07-16T14:05:38+02:00","product_id":8515510599846,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Black-copy-e1570510182767_02872edc-8695-4d7c-b705-59904155248b.png?v=1752667538","width":470,"height":1395}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["Educational Range: Mourvèdre 2007"]}]},{"id":8515510567078,"title":"Educational Range: Grenache 2007","handle":"educational-range-grenache-2007","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGrenache 2007 - Piekenierskloof 100% Grenache from Piekenierskloof. My personal favourite, lower in alcohol and the most RUSTIC of them all.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a Limited production of 600 bottles. The grapes for this wine is from Piekenierskloof, Citrusdal. Grenache, as a grape variety, hails from ancient Spain. The cultivar is used mainly as a blending component in wines and you rarely find the cultivar used as a single varietal. You will however find that premium wines in areas like Châteauneuf-du-Pape in Southern France mainly consists of Grenache. If you would like to have more information on the Grenache grape, click here. You can also go to Wikipedia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTHE EDUCATIONAL RANGE: In August 2009, I released a wine called The Spaniard. The Spaniard is a blend of 42% Mourvèdre, 24% Carignan, 24% Grenache and 10% Cinsaut. An unique wine, which I personally feel was a breakthrough for BLANKbottle in terms of innovation. After the first bottling I had enough wine left in barrel for a second bottling. I then had a choice: I could either bottle a second batch along the same lines as the first Spaniard or I could go for something very different. Against my own personal preference I decided to bottle them all as single varietals. In my opinion, each of the components is exceptional and of the best expression of that specific cultivar that I've tasted . Besides that, I know it'll get you talking! So I've bottled each of the cultivars separately, by hand straight from barrel, unfiltered and unfined. I ended up with four very limited batches of wine I now call: the Educational Range, parts 1 - 4. Initially my plan was to expose you to and teach you the differences in each of these eccentric varietals. Now, after six months in bottle, these wines have matured and grown into four spectacular wines in their own right. I know that the whole is supposed to be better than the sum of the parts, but trust me in this case: each part is spectacular - The Carignan, Mourvèdre, Grenache and the Cinsaut.\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-06-28T09:57:10+02:00","created_at":"2025-06-28T09:57:11+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":[],"variants":[{"id":46464890798246,"title":"Educational Range: Grenache 2007","option1":"Educational Range: Grenache 2007","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"4823","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":false,"price":"0.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8515510567078,"created_at":"2025-06-28T09:57:11+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":44336910794918,"created_at":"2025-07-16T14:05:37+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-07-16T14:05:38+02:00","product_id":8515510567078,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Black-copy-e1570510182767_02872edc-8695-4d7c-b705-59904155248b.png?v=1752667538","width":470,"height":1395}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["Educational Range: Grenache 2007"]}]},{"id":8515510534310,"title":"Educational Range: Cinsaut 2007","handle":"educational-range-cinsaut-2007","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan id=\"bb_quick_overview\"\u003eCinsaut 2007 - Wellington I am so impressed with this specific wine that I will most definitely repeat this in the future. It might take me 2 years to achieve, but I feel that if Cinsaut can do this, who knows where it could go...\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the release of the 4th, and last, wine in The Spaniard Educational Range: BLANKbottle Cinsaut 2007.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMost South Africans would recognize Cinsaut\/Cinsault as one of the parents of Pinotage. It was previously knowns as Hermitage. Cinsaut vines produce big bunches of huge berries. This leads to a wine that is lighter in colour and structure which is mostly used in blends to add softness and bouquet. Although Cinsaut already plays a massive role in wines at lower price points, I personally feel it will most likely become a much larger role player in expensive blends in the near future. I am so impressed with this specific wine that I will most definitely repeat this in the future. It might take me 2 years to achieve, but I feel that if Cinsaut can do this, who knows where it could go... If you haven't yet heard of The Spaniard Educational range, please read below.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTHE EDUCATIONAL RANGE: In August 2009, I released a wine called The Spaniard. The Spaniard is a blend of 42% Mourvèdre, 24% Carignan, 24% Grenache and 10% Cinsaut. An unique wine, which I personally feel was a breakthrough for BLANKbottle in terms of innovation. After the first bottling I had enough wine left in barrel for a second bottling. I then had a choice: I could either bottle a second batch along the same lines as the first Spaniard or I could go for something very different. Going against my own personal preference in wine I decided to bottle them all as single varietals. In my opinion, each of the components is exceptional and of the best expression of that specific cultivar that I've tasted . Besides that, I know it'll get you talking! So I've bottled each of the cultivars separately, by hand straight from barrel, unfiltered and unfined. I ended up with four very limited batches of wine I now call: the Educational Range, parts 1 - 4. Initially my plan was to expose you to and teach you the differences in each of these eccentric varietals. Now, after six months in bottle, these wines have matured and grown into four spectacular wines in their own right. I know that the whole is supposed to be better than the sum of the parts, but trust me in this case: each part is spectacular - The Carignan, Mourvèdre, Grenache and the Cinsaut.\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-07-16T14:24:32+02:00","created_at":"2025-06-28T09:57:10+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":[],"variants":[{"id":46464890765478,"title":"Educational Range: Cinsaut 2007","option1":"Educational Range: Cinsaut 2007","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"4824","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":false,"price":"0.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8515510534310,"created_at":"2025-06-28T09:57:10+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":44336910794918,"created_at":"2025-07-16T14:05:37+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-07-16T14:05:38+02:00","product_id":8515510534310,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Black-copy-e1570510182767_02872edc-8695-4d7c-b705-59904155248b.png?v=1752667538","width":470,"height":1395}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["Educational Range: Cinsaut 2007"]}]},{"id":8515510501542,"title":"Educational Range: Carignan 2007","handle":"educational-range-carignan-2007","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCarignan 2007 - Swartland\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eThis is a single cultivar wine. 100% Carignan 2007 and forms part of the Spaniard Educational range... In August 2009, I released a wine called the Spaniard. The Spaniard is a blend of 42% Mourvedré, 24% Carignan, 24% Grenache and 10% Cinsaut. An unique wine, which I personally feel was a breakthrough for BLANKbottle in terms of innovation. After the first bottling I had enough wine left in barrel for a second bottling. I then had a choice: I could either bottle a second batch along the same lines as the first Spaniard or I could go for something very different. In my opinion, each of the components is exceptional and of the best expression of that specific cultivar that I’ve tasted. Besides that, I know it’ll get you talking! So I’ve bottled each of the cultivars separately, by hand straight from barrel, unfiltered and unfined. I ended up with four very limited batches of wine I now call: the Educational Range, parts 1 – 4. Initially my plan was to expose you to and teach you the differences in each of these eccentric varietals. Now, after six months in bottle, these wines have matured and grown into four spectacular wines in their own right. I know that the whole is suppose to be better than the sum of the parts, but trust me in this case: each part is spectacular - The Carignan, Mourvedré, Grenache and the Cinsaut. This is “The Carignan 2007” (only 400 bottles available)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-07-16T14:23:51+02:00","created_at":"2025-06-28T09:57:09+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":[],"variants":[{"id":46464890699942,"title":"Educational Range: Carignan 2007","option1":"Educational Range: Carignan 2007","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"4826","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":false,"price":"0.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8515510501542,"created_at":"2025-06-28T09:57:09+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":44336910794918,"created_at":"2025-07-16T14:05:37+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-07-16T14:05:38+02:00","product_id":8515510501542,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Black-copy-e1570510182767_02872edc-8695-4d7c-b705-59904155248b.png?v=1752667538","width":470,"height":1395}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["Educational Range: Carignan 2007"]}]},{"id":8515510436006,"title":"Brave 2021","handle":"brave-2021","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eScared is what you feel, BRAVE is what you do 2021!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSCARED IS WHAT YOU FEEL, BRAVE IS WHAT YOU DO - 2021\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe name says it all. Sometimes the valley of dark shadows chooses you. This wine is dedicated to the chosen ones - who, not by choice, brave the rough seas - showing no fear!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cimg class=\"lazy loaded\" src=\"https:\/\/mcusercontent.com\/20207e7491d110e972ec6af28\/images\/69635e9e-430c-7b61-5f70-a43361f2f347.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/mcusercontent.com\/20207e7491d110e972ec6af28\/images\/69635e9e-430c-7b61-5f70-a43361f2f347.png\" width=\"580\" height=\"284\" data-file-id=\"6573543\" data-was-processed=\"true\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eThese vineyards grow on the lower slopes of the Helderberg mountains in weathered granitic sandy soils. Planted in 2010, these 14 year old plants are now reaching the early stages of their prime. Some of the best terroir on the Helderberg, it produces elegant firm age-worthy wines.\u003c\/div\u003e","published_at":"2025-06-28T09:56:59+02:00","created_at":"2025-06-28T09:56:59+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":[],"variants":[{"id":46464890634406,"title":"Brave 2021","option1":"Brave 2021","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"6863","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"price":"410.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8515510436006,"created_at":"2025-06-28T09:56:59+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":44264971141286,"created_at":"2025-07-14T08:06:09+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-07-14T08:06:10+02:00","product_id":8515510436006,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Brave-21-1.png?v=1752473170","width":500,"height":1395}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["Brave 2021"]}]},{"id":8515510337702,"title":"Autumn Equinox 2023","handle":"autumn-equinox-2023","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is a blend of Weisser Riesling, Semillon and Sauvignon blanc from ELGIN - The Autumn Equinox theory… Read the story below.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eDISCLAIMER: I am no activist and I don't belong to any kind of organisation. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI pick grapes from everywhere and respect each area for its contribution to a specific wine. In this newsletter however, I’m focusing on what Elgin does well and exploring the possible relevance of the Autumn Equinox theory. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Autumn Equinox theory… The more I learn about farming and wine, the more I wonder how the olden-day farmers decided what to plant where. Nowadays, before planting, farmers make use of professionals who scan the soil and dissect and analyse the different soil layers, physically as well as chemically. They study topographical data and in some cases make use of satellites and even drones. They construct terroir models in order to understand… \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eViticulturists (like Jaco Engelbrecht who works for me on a consultancy basis) also map the great Grand Cru vineyards of Europe which enables them to compare our new sites to the greats of the world. All this is done with one goal in mind: figuring out what to plant where! \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eUltimately, however, they feed from decisions made in ancient times. Times when they got it right without satellites, drones and engineering surveyors. Times when they had time to observe… One such approach that was often used, is the Autumn Equinox theory.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e In the Northern Hemisphere the autumnal equinox falls on 22\/23 September, as the sun crosses the celestial equator on its way south. In the Southern Hemisphere the Autumn equinox occurs on 20\/21 March, when the sun moves back north across the equator - otherwise known as the “Harvest moon\". \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTraditionally it marked the end of the harvest season, where they took stock of what was grown and gathered and gave thanks for what they had received. So their theory was very simple: plant whatever crop ripens a few days before, on, or after (basically as close as possible to) the Autumn Equinox. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAnd that got me thinking about Elgin. During February and early March when the heat waves hit the Western Cape, grapes in Elgin are still green, with sugars around 16° Balling. The vines have plenty of energy to sustain the heat and by the time the heat waves have passed, moderate temperatures take the grapes through a mild, slow ripening phase. This enables the vines to produce fully ripe grapes. And then, on the Autumn Equinox, the grapes usually have a sugar content of 21 - 23° balling, which is when we pick. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-06-28T09:56:44+02:00","created_at":"2025-06-28T09:56:44+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":["Sauvignon blanc","Semillon","Weisser Riesling"],"variants":[{"id":46464890503334,"title":"Autumn Equinox 2023","option1":"Autumn Equinox 2023","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"7924","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"price":"325.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8515510337702,"created_at":"2025-06-28T09:56:44+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":43876847485094,"created_at":"2025-06-28T08:46:56+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-06-28T08:46:56+02:00","product_id":8515510337702,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Autumn-Equinox-2022.png?v=1751093216","width":500,"height":1395}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["Autumn Equinox 2023"]}]},{"id":8515510304934,"title":"3rd ROUND 2015","handle":"3rd-round-2015","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e3rd ROUND, an elegant super enjoyable, yet serious, fresh red blend of SWARTLAND Carignan and Mourvedre, DARLING Cinsaut and SWARTLAND Syrah. Here this wine is sold out but in the world out there this wine is EXCLUSIVE TO WOOLWORTHS SA, available under the umbrella of \"CRAFT WINE\", in their top 15 stores country wide.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe morning of August 16, 2015, I walked into the cellar and took a iPhone panoramic photo of a very neat winery. Neither Julia, my assistant (who was busy cleaning glasses at that very moment), nor me, at the time, realised that this photo would become a label and that thousands of people will see Julia cleaning glasses in the winery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was the morning of my 3rd round. I have a very long history with the guys from Woolworths: Allan Mullins and Ivan Oertle. (For my international clients: Woolworths is our super premium grocer in South Africa). A few years ago I was approached by a guy who was supplying wines to Woolies. He had this project in mind where he wanted to make wines with the Parlotones, a very famous South African rock band. At the time BLANKbottle was still in its infancy (it had a really long infancy, like in 8 years or so…), anyhow, not knowing where I was heading with my career, I agreed to assist them with the project. Goodness, we had a blast! we not only converted the band members into wine’os but also made films, went for these ridiculously long lunches followed by ridiculously long after parties. We made 3 wines which got its spot on the sought-after Woolworth shelf. That was my 1st round.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA year later, on the back of the previous success, they asked me to, in my own capacity, make a wine exclusive to them. They loved the Spaniard under the BLANKbottle label and wanted something similar. So we sat down for my 2nd Round: A blend of Mourvedre, Grenache, Carignan and Cinsaut followed and was very successful for 3 years. During that time BLANKBOTTLE went through significant growth where I realised what I liked and the direction I wanted to go in life. So in February 2015, Ivan Oertle was on the judging panel for the wine-label design awards, presented by WineMAG. After the competition he approached me with a new concept. He wanted to launch a premium wine range in the top 15 Woolworths stores country wide called “Craft Wine”. You see, craft beer is on the up and they wanted something similar, but in wine. So, after I took my iphone panoramic photo the Woolworths team arrived and it was the start of my 3rd ROUND .\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn terms of winemaking it is as you can imagine a bit of this and a bit of that. But all components spend 18 months is old French oak, some were whole bunch fermented, some spend a long time on the skins, some less. All in all the wine is an elegant, super enjoyable fresh red blend of SWARTLAND Carignan and Mourvedre, DARLING Cinsaut and SWARTLAND Syrah.\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-06-28T09:56:37+02:00","created_at":"2025-06-28T09:56:37+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":[],"variants":[{"id":46464890437798,"title":"3rd ROUND 2015","option1":"3rd ROUND 2015","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"4882","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":false,"price":"0.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8515510304934,"created_at":"2025-06-28T09:56:37+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":43876836901030,"created_at":"2025-06-28T08:46:09+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-06-28T08:46:09+02:00","product_id":8515510304934,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/3rd-round-2015.png?v=1751093169","width":500,"height":1395}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["3rd ROUND 2015"]}]},{"id":8515510173862,"title":"1-Click-Off 2023","handle":"1-click-off-2023","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e100% Pinot Noir from Elgin - In 2012, I was introduced to a lonely, newly-established 3-clone-combination Pinot Noir Vineyard (12.2km North of Kleinmond as the crow flies). Little did I know what lay ahead for me and this little vineyard. See below for the full story...\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eI started with a clear vision for this wine - only to miss it completely… hence the original name of the wine: 2-CLICKS-OFF. The ‘13 and ‘14 vintages came and went - either down the drain or to a blend. The vineyard then changed ownership and I was out. Lost the vineyard. It happens from time to time. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI’m a firm believer in letting things takes its natural course but this time round it was different. I had the conviction that the vineyard was mine to make wine of. It just needed to mature a bit. So I decided to fight for it. Like back in the day when my now wife dated one of my friends… I didn’t give up and in harvest 2016 I received the long-awaited phone call: do I still want the Pinot? \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBeing so late in the season, the grapes were over-ripe and the vineyard was in a neglected state. But I knew that it was my chance to get my foot back in the door. After harvest, when the dust had settled, we sat down and had a chat. I immediately sensed a change of heart. André van Wyk, the now fully-committed sole owner, had a vision but wasn't sure how to go about it. He was also aiming for a classic Pinot. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSo I took my cue from George Clooney in the OCEAN-8 movie: I needed a team. I approached a guy called Jaco Engelbrecht of Visual Viticulture - an intensely articulated and passionate guy. I introduced Jaco and Andre and immediately there was the proverbial magic in the air. The game was on!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg style=\"margin: 5px 5px 5px 5px; float: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/mcusercontent.com\/20207e7491d110e972ec6af28\/images\/eef310c2-d46f-c308-f08b-fa467ddf0472.jpeg\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/figure\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAndre got so excited that he employed Marthinus and Patric to spend 100% of their time in the vineyard. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWe started to farm (or rather groom) the vineyard intensely. What a journey… In Jaco’s opinion it was going to take 3 years to see results. The goal? To take that 2-clicks-off cannon and slowly pull it into place. Little by little, we nourished the struggling plants by removing any possible competition and nursed them back to life. Reserves were building up bit by bit and we picked the best crop to date. When it landed in the winery, we threw everything at it. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe OCEANS-8 team is of the opinion that we've nailed it. But I disagree. I have a feeling that we are yet to reach the full potential of this prodigal vineyard - and the name of the wine therefore - 1-CLICK-OFF…\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-06-28T09:56:33+02:00","created_at":"2025-06-28T09:56:33+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":["Pinot Noir"],"variants":[{"id":46464890339494,"title":"1-Click-Off 2023","option1":"1-Click-Off 2023","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"7928","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":false,"price":"390.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8515510173862,"created_at":"2025-06-28T09:56:33+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":44557720944806,"created_at":"2025-07-21T10:21:00+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-07-21T10:21:02+02:00","product_id":8515510173862,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/BlankBottleClickOff.png?v=1753086062","width":500,"height":1395}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["1-Click-Off 2023"]}]},{"id":8515280371878,"title":"The Spaniard 2020","handle":"the-spaniard","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAnd this, my friends, is the closest version to the waaaay back The Spaniard 2007, which I’ve been aiming to repeat ever since - In Short, 100% Swartland Mourvedre...\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI like to refer to what we do as journeys within each wine. Our destination we sort of figure out as we go along. This is the VERY CONDENSED life cycle of The Spaniard:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy introduction to Mourvedre, Carignan, Cinsaut and Grenache was in 2007. With most of these cultivars hailing from ancient Spain, I decided to dub the wine - The Spaniard 2007. The wine was an unexpected hit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn order to experience what each of the individual components of The Spaniard could do on its own, I then bottled The Educational range 1 - 4 the following year; Again a hit!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis led to my second attempt at The Spaniard - with the end result a bit off the mark and released as the BIG Spaniard 2009. The wine was indeed big: larger in frame, alcohol and extraction. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy 3rd attempt (the 2011 vintage) was again a bit off the mark, but this time round more to the elegant side of things - it was released as The Little Spaniard 2011. And then came the knock on my little Hinterhofkabuff's office door - my cashflow survival knight-in-shining-armour. Woolworths decided that they wanted to take The Little Spaniard on as a once-off special exclusive. Grateful for the relief, I decided that the wine will leave the BLANKBOTTLE stable to stand on its own 4 legs. I even had a label designed by the best design firm in Stellenbosch. A never-to-be-repeated act on my behalf. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2 years after my WW stint, under the BLANKBOTTLE umbrella, I still wanted to try the original style of the Mourvedre, Grenache and Carignan version - an Original Spaniard, so to speak. So I was back at it with the release of The Original Spaniard 2013 - an all-out SWARTLAND combination. And just as I thought I was back in the game, a larger producer muscled me out of the vineyards. Not knowing where to turn to next, I basically just left it there until further notice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFast-track 7 years to 2020 and my day finally came - in the form of a beautiful little bush vine Swartland vineyard - planted in pure rugged Schist on the Riebeeck mountain. Unfortunately I was only allowed to buy 1 ton, so I made 3 barrels. The Spaniard 2020 - the pure-elegance, soft-juicy-roundness is mouth-watering … with 30% of the wine aged in new oak - 100% Mourvedre.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd this, my friends, is the closest version to the waaaay back The Spaniard 2007, which I’ve been aiming to repeat ever since.\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-06-27T19:12:27+02:00","created_at":"2025-06-27T19:12:28+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":["Mourvedre"],"variants":[{"id":46463743066278,"title":"The Spaniard 2020","option1":"The Spaniard 2020","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"5648","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":false,"price":"0.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8515280371878,"created_at":"2025-06-27T19:12:28+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":43877046059174,"created_at":"2025-06-28T09:02:40+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-06-28T09:02:40+02:00","product_id":8515280371878,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-The-Spaniard-1395.png?v=1751094160","width":572,"height":1395}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["The Spaniard 2020"]}]},{"id":8515280339110,"title":"The Original Spaniard 2013","handle":"the-original-spaniard-2013-2","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is a blend of Carignan, Grenache noir and Mourvedre from The SWARTLAND. The wine is not precise. It’s round, soft and juicy. It encompasses your pallet, from side to side through every gap it covers. Warm, velvety, elegant and lingering - it's drinkability is through the roof - A dangerous wine.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the Original Spaniard 2013, a rebirth of the once-off and very well received: BLANKbottle The Spaniard 2007. A then 4-way blend made up of cultivars hailing (500BC) from ancient Spain - Garnacha, Monastrell, Cariñena with a bit of Cinsault; grown in places like Wellington, Swartland and Piekenierskloof.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDue to it's popularity, I set out to repeat the wine in 2009 but it ended up being much fuller\/richer than the 2007 vintage (such is the reality and beauty of working with a live product!) So was birthed BLANKbottle The Big Spaniard. Around that same time Woolworths approached me to produce a wine based on the principles of the Spaniard, exclusive to them and removed from the BLANKbottle range of wines. To confuse the Spanish matters even further I then, as part of my trial blends for Woolworths, produced The Little Spaniard 2011, which I released as a BLANKbottle wine. Subsequently Woolworths \"The Spaniard\" saw the light, which is still available in most Woolworths shops country-wide.  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut none of the above-mentioned new Spanish family members were close to the 2007 in style. After a few more years of having fun, I finally ended up with something very close to the 2007 Spaniard. So, to me, the logical name should be \"The ORIGINAL SPANIARD\" - a blend of equal parts of Garnacha, Monastrell and Cariñena - Grenache, Mourvèdre and Carignan as we know it in South Africa.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll the vineyards grow near Darling - West coast side of the Swartland - warmer, dryer parts of South Africa, very similar climate to Northern Spain. The wine is not precise. It’s round, soft and juicy. It encompasses your pallet, from side to side through every gap it covers. Warm, velvety, elegant and lingering - it's drinkability is through the roof - A dangerous wine.\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-06-27T19:12:21+02:00","created_at":"2025-06-27T19:12:23+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":["Carignan","Grenache Noir","Mouvedre"],"variants":[{"id":46463743033510,"title":"The Original Spaniard 2013","option1":"The Original Spaniard 2013","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"5086","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":false,"price":"0.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8515280339110,"created_at":"2025-06-27T19:12:23+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":44309962752166,"created_at":"2025-07-15T13:53:44+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-07-15T13:53:46+02:00","product_id":8515280339110,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/blank-bottle_136c88bf-bc21-433e-b508-46c965b552c1.png?v=1752580426","width":500,"height":1395}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["The Original Spaniard 2013"]}]},{"id":8515280306342,"title":"The MISFIT 2012","handle":"the-misfit-2012","body_html":"\u003cp\u003eAn elegant and fresh wine made from 100% Swartland Carignan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI made the first Misfit in 2009 - 100% Carignan from the Swartland. It was picked extremely ripe and we ended up with an alcohol of 15%. Sweet, rich fruit dominated the flavour profile. After initial success with a wine it typically takes me a few years to secure the grapes on a yearly basis. So then, in 2012, I had my second chance to produce The MISFIT. We had extreme heat waves early summer (subsequently losing a lot of the crop due to sunburn) and the grapes reached optimal ripeness earlier with lower sugars. The result is a 13% alcohol wine - lighter in style and more elegant. I fermented with 30 percent whole bunches (not removing the stems and not crushing the berries). This had a huge influence on the wine. It gave the wine a fresh coolness. The wine aged for a year in larger 700l old French oak barrels enabling the fruit of the wine to dominate the subtle oak. It needs about three years to reach optimum drinkability.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-06-27T19:12:11+02:00","created_at":"2025-06-27T19:12:13+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":["Carignan"],"variants":[{"id":46463742967974,"title":"The MISFIT 2012","option1":"The MISFIT 2012","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"5083","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":false,"price":"0.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8515280306342,"created_at":"2025-06-27T19:12:14+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":43877043273894,"created_at":"2025-06-28T09:02:21+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-06-28T09:02:21+02:00","product_id":8515280306342,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-The-Misfit-copy-e1570509697824_c5b7b0f9-a884-4b22-8f22-3650bbff6d8e.png?v=1751094141","width":473,"height":1395}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["The MISFIT 2012"]}]},{"id":8515280273574,"title":"The MISFIT 2009","handle":"the-misfit-2009-2","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFor this wine I never had the opportunity to do a write-up. The wine is the first that sold out before I could release it. I had the wine at a few tastings and it just flew from the warehouse... It is a 100% Carignan from a vineyard in the Swartland.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eFor this wine I never had the opportunity to do a write-up. The wine is the first that sold out before I could release it. I had the wine at a few tastings and it just flew from the warehouse… It is a 100% Carignan from a vineyard in the Swartland. The block is 15 years old, has no irrigation with very low yields. Fantastic quality. It's a rich wine with sweet juicy fruit. From the 2012 vintage onwards this wine will become a permanent wine within the BLANKbottle line-up.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-06-27T19:12:08+02:00","created_at":"2025-06-27T19:12:10+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":["Carignan"],"variants":[{"id":46463742935206,"title":"The MISFIT 2009","option1":"The MISFIT 2009","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"5082","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":false,"price":"0.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8515280273574,"created_at":"2025-06-27T19:12:10+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":43877043830950,"created_at":"2025-06-28T09:02:24+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-06-28T09:02:24+02:00","product_id":8515280273574,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/The-Missfit_b01e450a-7816-40e6-91b0-bf1a65e5e3e7.png?v=1751094144","width":300,"height":837}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["The MISFIT 2009"]}]},{"id":8515279978662,"title":"Seelug 2022","handle":"seelug-2022","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan id=\"bb_quick_overview\"\u003eA fresh, elegantly oaked, limey and delicious Chardonnay - more to the serious side of things. Read the story or listen to the voice note below.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003ciframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kS-OYmkGS8w?si=r90EnNYqGWL6HT3w\" height=\"315\" width=\"560\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cspan id=\"about_wine_body\"\u003eSeelug 2022 - the first vintage of something special. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan id=\"about_wine_body\"\u003eFirst things first though - some relevant terminologies: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan id=\"about_wine_body\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eOff-shore wind\u003c\/em\u003e - air movement off-the-shore, into-the-ocean. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan id=\"about_wine_body\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eOn-shore wind\u003c\/em\u003e - air movement from-the-ocean, onto-the-shore. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan id=\"about_wine_body\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eChop\/wit pertjies\/white horses\u003c\/em\u003e - Little waves produced by long distance air movement over large expanses of open ocean surfaces. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan id=\"about_wine_body\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eSampling \u003c\/em\u003e- The picking of random grape berries from a vineyard in order to get a representable sample to determine ripeness. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan id=\"about_wine_body\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eSeelug\u003c\/em\u003e - Sea Air.\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003erepresentable sample to determine ripeness. Seelug - Sea Air.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan id=\"about_wine_body\"\u003e\u003cimg data-was-processed=\"true\" height=\"322\" width=\"640\" alt=\"\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blankbottle.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/IMG_1163.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/blankbottle.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/IMG_1163.jpg\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7753 aligncenter lazy loaded\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan id=\"about_wine_body\"\u003eOne hot day, during the harvest of ’22, I was sampling a little (as yet) un-named Chardonnay vineyard which a good friend had told me about. Situated on the lower slopes of the Helderberg, it overlooks False Bay. Glancing over towards the ocean that day, I could clearly see that the off-shore wind was blowing. This was good news to the Strand local I am, as the elusive off-shore wind grooms the waves, making them perfect for my local surf spot. I made a mental note to get a move-on with my sampling, no time to lose. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan id=\"about_wine_body\"\u003eBut 20 minutes later, as I once again raised my head from my berry-picking, grape-squashing exercise, I glanced over the bay. D’oh! (as Homer Simpson would say) - the wind had turned onshore. I could clearly see the tell-tale \"wit perdjies\" on the horizon heading towards shore. In a few minutes the perfectly groomed waves would be destroyed. Deflated, I carried on with the task at hand. Then, another 20 minutes later it hit me - SEELUG! \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan id=\"about_wine_body\"\u003eIt suddenly felt like someone was spraying my sun-baked face with a cool, misty oyster extract - a fragrance of fresh, salty, damp bamboo… So whilst the onshore might be wrecking waves, it simultaneously pushes the hot air inland and hugs every Chardonnay plant in that vineyard with a fragranced coolness which not many vines ever experience. Seelug 2022 - A fresh, elegantly oaked, limey and delicious Chardonnay - more to the serious side of things.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2025-06-27T19:09:45+02:00","created_at":"2025-06-27T19:09:48+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00","vendor":"Blank Bottle","product_type":"Wine","tags":["Chardonnay"],"variants":[{"id":46463742148774,"title":"Seelug 2022","option1":"Seelug 2022","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"6917","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":false,"price":"0.00","grams":1500,"compare_at_price":null,"position":1,"product_id":8515279978662,"created_at":"2025-06-27T19:09:48+02:00","updated_at":"2026-10-19T02:49:24+02:00"}],"images":[{"id":43877060673702,"created_at":"2025-06-28T09:03:55+02:00","position":1,"updated_at":"2025-06-28T09:03:55+02:00","product_id":8515279978662,"variant_ids":[],"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Seelug-copy_f16d2b66-9cd8-46a8-b777-7dfb998266d7.png?v=1751094235","width":500,"height":1395}],"options":[{"name":"Title","position":1,"values":["Seelug 2022"]}]}]}