Blank Bottle Moment of Silence

Blank Bottle wines tell a story. Having no indication of variety or region on the bottle, it’s up to the juice inside to reveal that story. An honest brand that has no limitations when it comes to style, vintage, area or grape. Blank Bottle wines are for people with an open mind and an adventurous heart.

Winemaker Pieter doesn’t own any vines but, instead, scours South Africa’s winelands for top-quality fruit that has somehow slipped under the radar. Some years he’ll make 20 wines, other years 35. With the benefit of anonymity, variety and regional identity take a back seat while parcel expression does the driving. These are some of South Africa’s most original wines, made by one of South Africa’s most original winemakers.

Moment of Silence is one of the few wines that Pieter makes every year. Incorporating some old vine Chenin Blanc and Viognier from Wellington, this usually has some Grenache Blanc in the mix, but Pieter wasn’t happy enough with the fruit from 2023, so didn’t add it to the blend.

The wine was fermented spontaneously and aged in a mix of old French oak barrels, amphora and concrete eggs. It saw 8 months lees ageing before blending and bottling.

Moment of Silence is full of generous fruit - golden delicious apples, apricots and ripe pears, with a lovely lift of acidity and a super fresh finish.