Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction 2011

Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction 2011


Exceptional wines with a creative edge and great diversity of styles is the hallmark of the 2011 selection of exclusive wines that will go under the hammer at the 27th Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction at Spier outside Stellenbosch on Saturday, 1 October.

Local wine enthusiasts can taste the auction wines at Auction Showcases at the CTICC in Cape Town at 18h00 on Thursday, 11 August and at 18h00 at The Atrium, Nedbank Sandton in Johannesburg on Thursday, 1 September.

Tickets cost R150 per person and bookings can be made by visiting the Guild's website or contacting Shakiera McKay in the Guild office on bookings@capewinemakersguild.com or phoning 021 852 0408.

There is great excitement regarding this year’s auction line-up as a result of the less constricting selection criteria adopted by the Guild aimed at boosting creativity.

Recognised as South Africa’s leading wine auction open to the wine trade and the general public with an annual turnover of around R4 million, the prestigious Guild Auction features an impressive lineup of 56 wines this year, 17 more than the previous Auction.

All the wines are crafted exclusively for the Auction to represent the pinnacle of what can be achieved in South African winemaking.

This year’s auction wines, all poised to become rare collector’s items, include 38 red wines, 13 white wines, 2 Méthode Cap Classiques, a dessert wine, a port and a potstill brandy.

Judging by the great variety of wines on offer and remarkable spread of varietals and different styles, the Guild’s new selection criteria has certainly paid off.

“There is something for everyone at the auction this year which we can only put down to the revised auction selection criteria, allowing our members the opportunity to experiment a little more and try something different from what they normally produce. We have already seen some interesting wines come through such as Grenache and Touriga Nacional to name but a few,” says Guild Chairman, Louis Strydom, who has submitted his blockbuster Ernie Els CWG 2009 for the Auction.

The biggest single buyer at the Guild Auctions for the past nine years, Alan Pick of The Butcher Shop and Grill in Johannesburg, is full of praise for the new selection criteria and this year’s star studded Auction wines.

“I have never seen a wine selection of such high calibre with so many star winemakers before. This year, the Auction is going to be big!” he predicts.

In terms of the new criteria, Guild members themselves can decide whether or not to submit a wine for the auction provided it is deemed free of any technical defects through chemical and microbiological analysis. All the wines submitted to the Guild’s tasting panel made muster this year thereby meeting the highest standards of wine health measurement.

This year 39 of the 43 Guild members have either one or two wines on auction making up the tally of 56 different wines and a total number of 2 992 cases (6 x 750ml case equivalent).

The 13 white wines on auction represent more variety than ever before. Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc take the lead with four wines each, followed by three different white blends and two Chenin blancs.

In addition two Méthode Cap Classiques and a Muscat de Frontignan will go under the hammer.

The line-up includes new vintages of top selling whites from previous auctions such as Jordan Chardonnay Auction Reserve 2010, Steenberg The Magus 2010 and Nitida Aureus 2010.

Whilst red blends, both Bordeaux and non-Bordeaux styles, are the biggest categories this year, representing 8 and 6 different wines respectively, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot noir, Pinotage and Shiraz are also well represented, each with 5 different wines.

There are two Merlots on auction this year with one Grenache and one Touriga Nacional.

The reds include new vintages of regular top selling auction stalwarts such as Bouchard Finlayson Pinot Noir 2009, Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon Auction Reserve 2008, Jordan Sophia 2008 as well as past stars such as the Boekenhoutskloof Syrah Auction Reserve 2009, Neil Ellis Rodanos 2007, Hartenberg Estate Auction Shiraz 2009, Luddite “The Reserve” Shiraz 2008 and two Vriesenhof Pinot Noirs, a 2009 and a 2010 magnum.

The new varietals on offer this year include Saronsberg Die Erf Grenache 2010 and De Trafford Sijnn Touriga Nacional 2009.

Chenin blancs are also back in the auction line-up with two offerings, the Rijk’s CWG Chenin Blanc 2010 and Teddy Hall Wines Hendrik Biebouw Auction Reserve Chenin Blanc 2010.

Amongst the new Guild members to submit a wine on auction for the first time are Coenie Snyman with his Rust en Vrede Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, Rianie Strydom with her Haskell The Expatriate 2009, Boela Gerber with two wines: Groot Constantia CWG White 2010 and Groot Constantia CWG Shiraz 2009, and Johan Joubert with his Kleine Zalze Granite Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2009.

Since its inception in 1985, the Nedbank CWG Auction has become a quality benchmark and the CWG label is an authentic assurance of quality recognised by leading wine buyers both locally and from abroad.

While the vast majority of buyers at the auction are local, there has been a surge of international interest in recent years and overseas pre-auction tastings will be held again this year in the UK, Belgium, Denmark, Hong Kong and New York.

The 27th Nedbank CWG Auction is open to the public and will be held at the Spier Conference Centre in the Stellenbosch Winelands on Saturday, 1 October 2011.

Prospective buyers who are unable to attend the auction on the day, can register in advance with the CWG and take advantage of their telephonic and proxy bidding facilities.

For further details, registration information and requirements and to attend the Auction, visit www.capewinemakersguild.com or contact the Guild Office on Phone: 021 852 0408 or info@capewinemakersguild.com.

A list of the wines on offer is as follows:
WineCases on offer
Ataraxia CWG Chardonnay 201090 x 6 x 750ml
Boekenhoutskloof Syrah Auction Reserve 200930 x 6 x 750ml
Boplaas Cape Vintage CWG Auction Reserve 200630 x 6 x 750ml
Boplaas Thirsty Angel 10 Year Potstill Brandy30 x 6 x 750ml
Boschkloof CWG Conclusion 200750 x 6 x 750ml
Bouchard Finlayson Pinot Noir 200950 x 6 x 750ml
Cape Point Vineyards Barrel Fermented Sauvignon Blanc 201046 x 6 x 750ml
Cederberg Teen Die Hoog Shiraz 200980 x 6 x 750ml
De Grendel Amandelboord Sauvignon Blanc 201026 x 6 x 750ml
De Grendel Op die Berg Pinot Noir 201040 x 6 x 750ml
De Trafford Perspective 200870 x 6 x 750ml
De Trafford Perspective 2008 (375ml bottles)70 x 6 x 375ml
De Trafford Sijnn Touriga Nacional 200964 x 6 x 750ml
Edgebaston Chardonnay Tete du Ciel 200940 x 6 x 750ml
Ernie Els CWG 200970 x 6 x 750ml
Flagstone Happy Hour 200960 x 6 x 750ml
Graham Beck Non Plus Ultra Cap Classique 200540 x 6 x 750ml
Graham Beck Three Thousand and One Nights 2001 (500ml bottles)40 x 6 x 500ml
Grangehurst Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 200680 x 6 x 750ml
Groot Constantia CWG Shiraz 200940 x 6 x 750ml
Groot Constantia CWG White 201030 x 6 x 750ml
Hartenberg Estate Auction Shiraz 200950 x 6 x 750ml
Hartenberg Loam Hill Merlot 200960 x 6 x 750ml
Haskell The Expatriate 2009 80 x 6 x 750ml
Jordan Chardonnay Auction Reserve 201080 x 6 x 750ml
Jordan Sophia 200880 x 6 x 750ml
Kaapzicht CWG Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Auction Reserve 200760 x 6 x 750ml
Kaapzicht CWG Pinotage Reserve 200760 x 6 x 750ml
Kanonkop CWG Paul Sauer 200882 x 6 x 750ml
Kanonkop CWG Pinotage 200970 x 6 x 750ml
Kleine Zalze Granite Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 200970 x 6 x 750ml
Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon Auction Reserve 200896 x 6 x 750ml
Louis Wines Rebel Rebel 200960 x 6 x 750ml
Louis Wines Turtles All the Way Down 200960 x 6 x 750ml
Luddite “The Reserve” Shiraz 2008 60 x 6 x 750ml
Luddite The Chosen One 2008 80 x 6 x 750ml
Neil Ellis Rodanos 200724 x 6 x 750ml
Nitida Aureus 2010 30 x 6 x 750ml
Nitida Decorous Sauvignon Blanc 201030 x 6 x 750ml
Overgaauw D.C. Classic 200940 x 6 x 750ml
Paul Cluver CWG Pinot Noir 2010 40 x 6 x 750ml
Paul Cluver The Wagon Trail Chardonnay 200926 x 6 x 750ml
Rijk's CWG Chenin blanc 201040 x 6 x 750ml
Rijk's CWG Pinotage 200946 x 6 x 750ml
Rust en Vrede Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 200960 x 6 x 750ml
Saronsberg Die Erf Grenache 201026 x 6 x 750ml
Simonsig Pick of the Bunch Pinotage 200960 x 6 x 750ml
Solo The Guildsman 200944 x 6 x 750ml
Spier Merlot 200952 x 6 x 750ml
Spier Pinotage 200942 x 6 x 750ml
Steenberg The Magus 201060 x 6 x 750ml
Teddy Hall Wines Hendrik Biebouw Auction Reserve Chenin blanc 201050 x 6 x 750ml
Villiera Shooting Star Cap Classique Brut Chardonnay 200836 x 6 x 750ml
Vriesenhof Pinot Noir 2010 (1.5L bottles)50 x 3 x 1.5L
Vriesenhof Pinot Noir Clone 777 200950 x 6 x 750ml
Waterford Estate 2005 Auction Reserve BB30 x 6 x 750ml
Waterford Estate 2009 Auction Reserve BB50 x 6 x 750ml

www.capewinemakersguild.com