Rare wines on the block tomorrow

A premier event on Cape Town's wine calendar, the Nederburg Auction serves to showcase the spectrum of award-winning wines and rare Cape finds created by the country's most talented winemakers.

This year marks the 37th year of this prestigious event.

The theme for this year's event is The Expression Inside. Although the auction is a trade event and focuses on the business of buying wine, exclusivity goes deeper than just the fine wines on offer. A lifestyle component will therefore be present at the Saturday, 17 September, event reflected in the décor and set up of the various food and networking venues, the entertainment and two lifestyle exhibitions.

Lifestyle exhibitions

A selection of fine handmade jewellery pieces, part of the Carla Antoni Collection that offers luxurious African-inspired keepsakes, will be on show and available for purchase. Additionally, Tokara Winery has arranged for several Wine Made Art pieces, created by the students at the Marie Stander Art School in Jamestown, near Stellenbosch, to be on display. The Wine Made Art initiative was created six years ago to encourage new and creative methods of incorporating wine experience in art.

Charity auction

This takes place at the close of the main auction on Saturday, and is open to anyone, not just licenced buyers. This year approximately 15 items, mostly very old, rare wines, will come under the hammer of Cape Wine Master Bennie Howard - a full list is available on the auction website: http://tinyurl.com/63yr8p5.

A single bottle of 1964 Nederburg Port will also be on the charity auction. Last year a single case (six bottles), of this Port sold for a record R62000 (R10333 per bottle), bought by Nigerian businessman and importer of wine, Obi Josephat Ndibe. This is the only port ever made at Nederburg by its legendary wine maker Günter Brözel, who retired in 1989. He has donated this bottle for the charity auction. The beneficiaries of this year's charity auction are the Goedgedacht Trust and Pebbles Project: http://tinyurl.com/6cst7qv.

Further information on the auction is available on the website: www.nederburgauction.co.za.