12 newcomers to Nederburg Auction line-up

The newcomers are Almenkerk, Beyerskloof, Bosman Family Vineyards, Mont Destin, Rietvallei, Rupert & Rothschild, Shannon Wines, Strandveld, TheAuction Crossing, The Goose Wines, Wildekrans and Wonderfontein.

"The auction is all about creating a culture of exclusivity. All wines selected to participate receive the 'Nederburg Auction selection' seal of endorsement, a prestigious recognition that, given the auction's stringent selection criteria, can be quite hard to achieve," says Nederburg Auction business manager, Dalene Steyn.

Sommelier and logistics manager for the 2012 selection tasting Higgo Jacobs concurs. "Less than half the wines submitted made it onto this year's auction. From a consumer point of view I believe this is a positive outcome, as it shows that the tasting panel has been strict in applying the judging criteria and is confident that the wines approved are great vintages that display the best potential from a wine appreciation, maturation and/or collector's point of view."

A panel of wine experts, including Cape Wine Masters, sommeliers and wine judges, conducts the selection tasting blind and the entire process is audited to ensure a fair result.

"Only white wines three years or older, and red wines five years and older, are allowed to be submitted, because from a food and wine pairing point of view, the wines selected must be properly matured wines ready for consumption in restaurants. This also gives the auction an added advantage when it comes to offering older wines, which are more subtle and therefore better at complementing a food experience," Jacobs continues.

View comments from this year's judging panel on http://youtu.be/noa8P93wQyo. The official catalogue will be available in June.