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Blank Bottle: Producer profile plus 13 wines to seek out

Surf-mad Pieter Walser of irreverent South African winery Blank Bottle tells Chris Wilson about his humble beginnings and how not to run a wine business, before sharing 13 of his distinctive, story-driven cuvées.

Each year in the Western Cape, the Vintners Surf Classic competition takes place, a surfing contest where more than 50 winemakers from South Africa take to the ocean to go head-to-head in the waves. The competition was started in 2000 by a group of winemakers who hated golf but loved to surf.

The reigning Vintners Surf Classic champion is Pieter Walser, the blond-haired whirlwind behind the Blank Bottle label, but he’s too modest to talk about it himself.

It came to light over lunch following a recent tasting held by Walser’s UK importer Swig. ‘It’s no surprise that he won, as he lives on the beach,’ said one fellow winemaker and surf competitor, partly in jest.


Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of 13 Blank Bottle wines to try



Blank Bottle: 13 latest-release wines


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