Not quite the people’s auction

It would be a stretch of the imagination to refer to the 34th Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction as ‘the people’s auction’, particularly when a case of six bottles of Kanonkop CWG Paul Sauer 2015 was sold for R22 500, setting a new auction record; but it might be fair to say that for the first time this year ‘the little guy’ was able to get a look in at the venerable auction.

That is because the hospitality industry and liquor industry, while well represented, did not dominate the bidding process, as in previous years. The top buyers this year were Tsogo Sun, Singita and Marble Restaurant, which between them snapped up just over R2 million worth of auction wines. Total sales amounted to R10.6 million with the average price per case at R5 265 and per bottle at R878. 

Moses Magwaza, sommelier at Pretoria’s acclaimed Restaurant Mosaic was also a big buyer. Mosaic, which is part of the Orient Boutique Hotel. won the World of Fine Wine’s Best Hotel Wine List in the World award. This is possibly not surprising when you learn its wine cellar is stocked with more than 75 000 bottles under 6 000 different labels.

That said, these buyers also did not ‘flash the cash’ as in previous years. This meant that private buyers – buying for themselves, wine clubs or just groups of friends – were able to participate.

“We are very happy with the results of the 2018 auction,” says Boela Gerber, Chairman of the Cape Winemakers Guild. “Overall the auction offered exceptional value across the board which was good news for the large contingent of private buyers.”

The auction features rare, limited-edition and small-batch wines that are produced for the event by members of the Cape Winemakers Guild, an association of 47 of South Africa’s best winemakers. Membership to the Guild is by invitation only and is extended to winemakers that have been producing outstanding wines for a minimum of five years and are actively involved in the winemaking operations of a cellar from harvest to bottling.

The highest average price per case for red wine:

Kanonkop CWG Paul Sauer 2015	R20 580
Boekenhoutskloof Syrah Auction Reserve 2016	R10 664
Rijk’s CWG Pinotage 2015	R 9 670
Etienne le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon Auction Reserve 2015	R 9 295
Kanonkop CWG Pinotage 2016	R 8 688
Rust en Vrede CWG Auction Estate 2015	R 7 640
Newton Johnson Family Vineyards Windansea Pinot Noir 2017	R 7 310
Hartenberg CWG Auction Shiraz 2015	R 7 142

Source: Cape Winemakers Guild

The wines that are supplied to the auction are created exclusively for the event, and cannot be sold commercially elsewhere, meaning they are some of the greatest unicorn (rare and hard to find) wines of the world – in the process they reaise the standard and international reputation of SA’s wines. While the bulk of the wine, 79%, was bought by local buyers, buyers from the US to France to Hong Kong are regular attendees. 

There were only 48 items on auction this year, down from 65 in 2017, representing only about 1000 cases of wine available for purchase as opposed to nearly 1500 cases last year. This year’s offerings include 31 red wines, 14 white wines, two Méthode Cap Classique sparkling wines, and one fortified wine.

Top achieving white wines based on an average price per case :

Mullineux ‘The Gris’ Semillon – Old Vines 2017	R 5 657
Ataraxia Under the Gavel Chardonnay 2017	R 5 070
Paul Cluver The Wagon Trail Chardonnay 2017	R 4 910
Jordan CWG Chardonnay 2017	R 4 771

Source: Cape Winemakers Guild

According to an article on Winemag.com, many of the whites on the auction were from the superb 2017 vintage. These are sure to be some of the finest white wines the country has ever produced. And many of the reds hail from the outstanding 2015 vintage.  

As South Africa does not have a well developed secondary market for wine, it is likely that most (perhaps not all) of this wine was bought for enjoyment, rather than investment, purposes.