Variety, great
diversity of styles and unusual cultivars are the signature of the 29th
Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction with no less than 59 singularly crafted wines
– the biggest selection ever – to go under the hammer at Spier in the Stellenbosch
Winelands on Saturday, 5 October 2013.
Recognised as South Africa’s
leading wine auction open to the wine trade and the general public, the bumper
auction lineup features small volumes of unique wines all crafted exclusively for the auction by members of the Guild.
With the biggest white wine selection in the history of the Guild and
667 more cases on offer than the previous year, the 2013 auction has more
variety and unusual styles than ever before.
This year’s
auction wines, all poised to become rare collector’s pieces, include 36 red
wines, 18 white wines, 2 Méthode Cap Classiques, one dessert wine, a Port and a
potstill brandy making up the tally of 3 184 cases (6 x 750ml case equivalent).
“There is
definitely a more creative edge to the 2013 auction lineup, showing us that our
decision three years ago to revise our selection process for the auction is starting
to bear fruit. The substantial increase in white wines offers more choice and we
certainly anticipate keen bidding especially from white wine enthusiasts,” says
Guild Chairman, Jeff Grier, whose Villiera Meteor Cap Classique 2008 is one of
two MCC’s on offer this year.
Innovation and
experimentation is most evident on the white wine front where Chardonnay takes
the lead again this year with six wines on auction including Kevin Arnold’s
first ever auction white wine, Waterford Estate Chardonnay Auction Reserve 2011.
Chardonnay enthusiasts have new vintages of top selling wines from previous
auctions to look forward to such as Jordan Chardonnay Auction Reserve 2012,
Paul Cluver The Wagon Trail Chardonnay 2012 and Ataraxia Under the Gavel
Chardonnay 2012.
Making his auction
debut is Bartho Eksteen with Hermanuspietersfontein Vloekskoot Sauvignon Blanc
2012, one of three Sauvignon Blancs to go under the hammer this year.
Other auction
newcomers include two unusual white cultivars: AA Badenhorst Family Wines
Grenache Gris Vuilgoed 3 2012 from Adi Badenhorst and Johan Malan’s Simonsig
“The Russety One” Roussanne 2012.
White blends
also feature prominently this year with four wines including the new 2012
vintage of Duncan Savage’s Cape Point Vineyards Auction Reserve White and the
return of Bruce Jack’s Happy Hour 2009. Pierre
Wahl is back with a new vintage Rijk’s CWG Chenin Blanc 2012, the only Chenin
Blanc on offer this year. Nicky Versfeld’s Lanner Hill Double Barrel White 2012
is the only Semillon whilst the Saronsberg CWG Viognier 2011 of Dewald Heyns is
the only Viognier.
Teddy Hall Eva
(Krotoa) Chenin Blanc Noble Late Harvest 2012 is the sole dessert wine in the
auction lineup.
Amongst the
reds, Shiraz with 13 wines and blends with 12 are the biggest categories again
this year, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon with five and Pinot Noir with three. Neil
Ellis makes his Pinotage auction debut with his Auction Reserve Pinotage 2011
one of two Pinotages on offer this year.
New vintages of
top selling auction stalwarts such as Hartenberg Auction Reserve Shiraz 2010, Boekenhoutskloof
Syrah Auction Reserve 2011, Etienne Le Riche Auction Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
2010, Jordan Sophia 2010, Edgebaston Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2011, Kanonkop
CWG Paul Sauer 2010 should all make for competitive bidding.
The only
Port-style wine and brandy on auction are both by Carel Nel: Boplaas Cape
Vintage Auction Reserve 2009 and Boplaas Ox Wagon 1880 Auction Reserve Potstill
Brandy.
All the wines have
been crafted specially for the auction by members of the Guild and are
subjected to rigorous scrutiny by the Guild’s tasting panel and tested by an
independent laboratory to ensure that they are free of any defects and meet the
highest standards of wine health measurement.
Since its
inception in 1985, the Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild 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, the Netherlands, Denmark and Hong Kong.
Local wine enthusiasts can
taste the auction wines at Auction
Showcases at the CTICC in Cape Town at
18h00 on Thursday, 22 August and at
18h00 at The Atrium, Nedbank Sandton in Johannesburg
on Thursday, 29 August. Tickets cost R170 and are available from www.WebTickets.co.za.
The
29th Nedbank CWG Auction, conducted by Henré Hablutzel of Hofmeyr
Mills Auctioneers for the 16th consecutive year, is open to the
public and will be held at the Spier Conference Centre in the Stellenbosch
Winelands on Saturday, 5 October 2013. 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. Live bidding will
also be available online through www.the-saleroom.com.
For
further details and to attend the Auction, visit www.capewinemakersguild.com
or contact the Guild Office on Tel: 021 852 0408 or info@capewinemakersguild.com.
