South African wine auction breaks new record

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Records tumbled at the 32nd Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction of South African wines, which raised more than 13.8 million South African rand, almost two million above the previous high.

The Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild auction also broke records for the highest prices fetched by a red wine, white wine, Méthode Cap Classique (MCC) sparkling wine and South African Port.

Featuring only South African wines, the auction was held at Spier in Stellenbosch last weekend.

Kanonkop CWG Paul Sauer 2013 topped the red wine rankings for a second year in a row, fetching a record-breaking ZAR13,400 for a six-bottle case.

Among white wines, Jordan Chardonnay Auction Selection 2015 attracted a new high bid of ZAR9,400 for six.

Silverthorn Wines Big Dog II Méthode Cap Classique 2011 fetched the highest price ever paid for a six-bottle case of MCC wine (ZAR7,000), with Boplass Cape Vintage Auction Reserve 2009 Port also achieving a ZAR7,000 highest bid.

Local buyers accounted for 84% of the wines sold, but the 27 overseas bidders constituted the highest number of countries ever represented at the auction, including bidders from the UK, Hong Kong, Denmark, Germany, Dubai, Brazil and the US.

Hotel group Tsogo Sun was the auction’s biggest buyer for the third year in a row, spending more than ZAR2.6m on wine, with other top buyers including The Butcher Shop & Grill, Singita, Crown Wine Cellars in Hong Kong and Restaurant Mosaic.

‘The record auction gives recognition to the quality of our top-tier wines, crafted in small volumes, and shows that South African wines are deserving of the same high prices achieved by wines of comparative quality around the world,’ said Miles Mossop, chairman of Cape Winemakers Guild.

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Bollinger 1914 vintage Champagne - famously harvested to the echo of shell bursts in World War One - lying in the house's new library. Credit: Bollinger