Cape Town - A treasure trove of 61 individually crafted wines of great diversity, rare varieties, collaborative winemaking and blends, goes under the hammer at the 33rd Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction to be held in Stellenbosch on Saturday September 30 2017.
Innovative winemaking is the hallmark of this South African wine industry showcase that features small volumes of unique collectors’ wines all made exclusively for the auction by members of the Cape Winemakers Guild (CWG).
With 10 more wines and 534 additional cases on offer after last year’s record breaking auction that saw total sales exceeding R13.8m, wine enthusiasts, private collectors and the wine trade will be spoilt for choice this year.
The 2017 auction line-up comprises 42 red wines, 18 white wines and one Méthode Cap Classique making up the tally of 2962 cases (6 x 750ml case equivalent).
“With greater variety on offer than ever before, our members continue to dig deep to find new varieties and exceptional parcels of vineyards to craft exciting wines. The strong category of red blends is particularly interesting this year and proof that we remain at the forefront of innovation in South African winemaking,” says CWG chair Miles Mossop of Tokara.
READ: Critical price problem for the SA wines
Three Guild members, Bruwer Raats, Morne Vrey and Carl van der Merwe make their auction debuts this year. Sebastian Beaumont is also breaking new ground with the auction’s first Demi-Sec wine.
This year no less than six auction wines – five reds and a white wine – will be available in magnums.
While innovation is an important aspect of the auction, the selection of well-established wines of great lineage is a major draw card for collectors and influential wine buyers who return every year for a chance to purchase new vintages of these heritage wines.
This year’s charity auction in aid of the Cape Winemakers Guild Protégé Programme will feature a one-of-a-kind Members’ Collection of 44 magnum 1.5 litre bottles – a wine from every Cape Winemakers Guild member with a wine on the 2017 auction.
All auction wines are selected after rigorous scrutiny in a blind tasting by the members of the Guild and tested by an independent laboratory to ensure that they meet the highest standards of wine health measurement.
SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE UPDATE: Get Fin24's top morning business news and opinions in your inbox.
Read Fin24's top stories trending on Twitter: Fin24’s top stories