Smaug The Magnificent 2021, Blank Bottle

A blend of Roussanne (35%), Verdelho (25%), Grenache Blanc (17%) and Grenache Gris (13%) this is a very seductive wine with orange peel, restrained tropical fruits, herbs and grilled nuts. A sort of Southern Rhôneish blend that really works very well.

€40-42 from Redmond’s, Ranelagh; Drinkstore, D7; Franks, D2.

Pieter Walser of Blank Bottle makes as many as fifty wines a year, most of them once-off. Each is made in small quantities from a huge variety of grape varieties sourced from all over the vineyards of South Africa. It sounds like a recipe for chaos, but it works. Obviously a talented winemaker himself, Walser has a small team of viticulturists and winemakers who work and advise growers who own plots that interest him. He refuses to put grape varieties on the label, and most of the wines are blends of two or more grapes. Every wine has a story, and a standout label too.