Cape Winemakers Guild Auction offers world-class wines

A remarkable, one-of-a-kind 18-litre bottle of 2009 Cape Winemakers Guild Auction Reserve will be amongst the line-up of rare and exclusive wines to go under the hammer, with its proceeds going towards the Guild's Protégé Programme, a mentorship initiative for young, upcoming winemakers.

The bottle comprises a blend of top 2009 vintage wines, skilfully blended by the Guild's cellarmasters, Duncan Savage of Cape Point Vineyards and Andries Burger of Paul Cluver Estate Wines. The bottle embodies the craftsmanship and camaraderie of the members of the Guild and is a reflection of their combined passion for winemaking and the quest for perfection.

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 auction features 56 wines this year. All the wines are crafted exclusively for the auction by members of the Guild to represent the pinnacle of South African winemaking. This year's auction wines include 38 red wines, 13 white wines, 2 Méthode Cap Classiques, a dessert wine, a port and a potstill brandy.

"The annual auction affords trade buyers and wine lovers the opportunity to obtain these investment wines at great prices. The recent success at the Nederburg Auction, at a time of global recession, bodes well for our offering this year. We are particularly pleased that the changes to our selection criteria in order to boost creativity for our auction wines has received really positive feedback from leading wine and media commentators," says Guild chairman Louis Strydom.

International tasters

The Guild enabled leading wine critics to taste the auction line-up by showcasing the wines at specialist tastings both locally and abroad. In addition to a well-received blind tasting by top South African wine writers, nine leading wine protagonists in the UK, including Jancis Robinson, Matthew Jukes and Neal Martin, attended a tasting in London, whilst US wine scribes, Steve Tanzer and James Molesworth tasted the wines in New York.

While attracting a large number of local buyers, the auction has developed a keen following of overseas trade buyers and collectors in recent years. Following on from the successful overseas tastings, registrations and proxy bids have started flowing in from Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong.

For further details, go to www.capewinemakersguild.com.