52 top wines lined up for CWG Auction

Being held at Spier in the Stellenbosch Winelands, this year's auction has 4 fewer wines and 431 fewer cases on offer than the previous year. This wines, all poised to become rare collector's items, include 38 red wines, 10 white wines, 2 Méthode Cap Classiques, 1 dessert wine and a Port.

"Judging by the variety of wines on offer, our more relaxed selection criteria seem to be paying off allowing winemakers more room to experiment with different varietals and styles lending a more creative edge to our auction. Wine collectors will be well pleased, as there is something for everyone. With members submitting more interesting wines in smaller volumes this year, we can expect lively bidding as buyers vie for these exclusive wines," says Guild chairman, Louis Strydom, whose Cabernet Sauvignon driven blend, Ernie Els CWG 2010, is on offer this year.

This year 37 of the 45 Guild members have either one, two or three wines on auction making up the tally of 52 different wines and a total number of 2517 cases (6 x 750ml case equivalent).

Two members of the Guild make their auction debut this year: Gottfried Mocke, with his Chamonix Chardonnay Auction Reserve 2011 and Miles Mossop with his Tokara Auction Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2010.

White wine selection

On the white wine front Chardonnay takes the lead with four wines on auction, followed by two Chenin Blancs, two Semillons, one Sauvignon Blanc and one blend. In addition, two Méthode Cap Classiques and a dessert wine will go under the hammer.

The line-up includes new vintages of top selling whites from previous auctions such as Jordan Chardonnay Auction Reserve 2011, Paul Cluver The Wagon Trail Chardonnay 2010 and Ataraxia Under the Gavel Chardonnay 2011.

The only Bordeaux-style white blend on auction this year is the Cape Point Vineyards Auction Reserve White 2011, whilst the only Sauvignon Blanc is the De Grendel Amandelboord Sauvignon Blanc 2012. Both Pierre Wahl and Teddy Hall are back from last year's auction with new Chenin blanc vintages, the Rijk's CWG Chenin Blanc 2011 and Teddy Hall Hendrik Biebouw Auction Reserve Chenin Blanc 2011. The Teddy Hall Eva (Krotoa) Muscat de Frontignan 2009 Noble Late Harvest is the only dessert wine on auction this year. The two Semillons are from Saronsberg and Cederberg, whilst the two Méthode Cap Classiques are a Blanc de Blanc 2007 from Simonsig and a Chardonnay Pinot noir blend from Graham Beck.

Red winners

Amongst the reds, Bordeaux-style blends and Shiraz are the biggest categories this year, each with eight wines on auction, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon with seven. Non-Bordeaux-style blends and Pinotage are well represented with four wines each, followed by three Pinot noirs, two Merlots, a Cinsault and a Nebbiolo. Top selling auction stalwarts such as Bouchard Finlayson Pinot Noir 2009, Hartenberg Estate Auction Shiraz 2009 and Luddite "The Reserve" Shiraz 2008 and new vintages of previous stars, Etienne Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon Auction Reserve 2009, Jordan Sophia 2009, Edgebaston Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2010, Kanonkop CWG Pinotage 2010 and the 2007 and 2009 vintages of Kanonkop CWG Paul Sauer should make for competitive bidding. Both Merlots on offer, Hartenberg Loam Hill Merlot 2009 and Spier Merlot 2009 were contenders at last year's auction.

New varietals

The new varietals on offer this year include a Cinsault from Adi Badenhorst, AA Badenhorst Family Wines Shatoe Ramnasgras 2011, on offer in the regular 750 ml and a magnum, and the John Loubser Garibaldi Nebbiolo 2009. Other interesting blends include the Graham Beck The Catalyst Shiraz Viognier 2010 and the Luddite Oscar Shiraz Mourvédre 2009. The only Port-style wine is the Carel Nel Cape Vintage Auction Reserve 2010.

All the wines have been crafted specially for the auction by members of the Guild, are subjected to rigorous scrutiny by the Guild's tasting panel to ensure that they are free of any defects and meet the highest standards of wine health measurement.

International, local pre-auction tastings

Since its inception in 1985, the auction has become a quality benchmark and the CWG label is an authentic assurance of quality recognised by leading wine buyers both locally and from abroad. While the vast majority of buyers at the auction are local, there has been a surge of international interest in recent years and overseas pre-auction tastings will be held again this year in the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Hong Kong and New York.

Local wine enthusiasts can taste the auction wines at Auction Showcases at the CTICC in Cape Town at 6pm on Thursday, 23 August and at 6pm at The Atrium, Nedbank Sandton in Johannesburg on Thursday 30 August. Tickets cost R170 and are available from www.WebTickets.co.za.

Public bookings

The 28th Nedbank CWG Auction, conducted by Henré Hablutzel of Hofmeyr Mills Auctioneers for the 15th consecutive year, is open to the public and will be held at the Spier Conference Centre in the Stellenbosch Winelands on Saturday, 6 October 2012. Prospective buyers who are unable to attend the auction on the day, can register in advance with the CWG and take advantage of their telephonic and proxy bidding facilities. Live bidding will also be available online for the first time this year through www.the-saleroom.com.

For more information, go to www.capewinemakersguild.com.