CWG celebrates 30 years of auctions
The annual Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction celebrates 30 years of providing wines of remarkable lineage and enduring quality, crafted in small volumes exclusively for the auction by Guild members, on Saturday 4 October 2014.
Early CWG Auction wines
Open to private buyers from the outset, the first Guild auction was held in Johannesburg on Saturday 7 September 1985 just three years after the establishment of the Cape Independent Winemakers Guild as it was called then, by eight enthusiastic winemakers in the home of founding chairman Billy Hofmeyr, at Welgemeend in Paarl.
Today, the Guild has 45 members representing the pinnacle of South African winemaking and the annual auction has grown in stature from a niche event to a showcase of the country's wine achievement. The auction now boasts a line-up of 59 wines with record sales of over R8.4 million in 2013 and the highest price of R6,200 for a 6-bottle case of Hartenberg Auction Reserve Shiraz 2010.
The interest from local buyers exceeds the international contingent with over 80% of the total auction sales going to local bidders in 2013. Longstanding auction supporter, Alan Pick of the Butcher Shop and Grill in Sandton, remains the auction's top bidder with total purchases exceeding R12.1 million since buying his first Guild wines in 2000.
Since 1993, the Guild has raised over R8.8 million in aid of numerous development initiatives within the wine industry.
Then and now: 30 years of CWG auction wines paired.
The 2014 auction line-up can be tasted at Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction Showcases in Cape Town on Thursday 21 August at the International Convention Centre (CTICC) and in Johannesburg on Wednesday 27 August at the Nedbank Atrium in Sandton. The showcases are open to the public and tickets can be purchased via www.webtickets.co.za at R170. For more information, go to www.capewinemakersguild.com.
