LIKE whisky, vintage wine has always been perceived as a drink of nobility and generally an extravagance of the rich and famous. This not only because of its capacity to mellow to perfection, but also for gaining value over many years.
Thus, it was for either propensity that wealthy wine lovers from across the Mother Continent, Asia and Europe converged on the Cape winelands last weekend to lay their hands on the rare wines at the Nederburg Auction in Paarl, Western Cape.
Amid the glitter and swagger, wine enthusiasts splurged a staggering R7-million on premier wines during the approximately 10 hours of bidding over two days.
The bidding pitted millionaire against millionaire as well as some of South Africa's leading retail chains such as Checkers and Spar against hospitality industry giants such as Tsogo Sun and resort chain owner Singita.
Nederburg Auction is especially known for its line-up of rare and old wines. Among the oldest wines sold was Lanzerac Cabernet 1957 and a 1975 1.5-litre vintage magnum of the Chateau Gruaud Larose, one of the renowned French producers from the wine-making Bordeaux region.
But what stole the show among the old wines was the 1964 vintage of Nederburg Port, which fetched a whopping R4889 (about R1300 a piece) for six (375ml) bottles.
It might well have been small change for one of South Africa's wealthiest women, Wendy Appelbaum, owner of De Morgenzon wine estate in Stellenbosch, but it was a glorious coup for her to see her wine fetching the highest price for a white wine on the day.
Three 1.5-litre bottles of De Morgenzon Chenin Blanc were snatched for R1333.
The most-sought-after red wine of the day was Hidden Valley Shipwreck Shiraz (2009), a case of which was grabbed for R7333.
The tally of R7-million was a breakthrough for South African wine, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the Nederburg Auction this year. Last year, the auction achieved comparatively lower sales at R4.3-million.
Auction manager Dalene Steyn was understandably joyous: "This is indicative of strong demand for premium South African wine.
"South African wine has long been undervalued and this year's edition proved to be a correction of this trend."
At least local wine enthusiasts are assured access to most wines sold because they were responsible for about 69 percent of the wines.
Tsogo Sun spent R723900, followed by the Spar Group, Singita and Checkers. This means these rare wines can be bought at these retail chains as well as enjoyed by guests who stay at Tsogo Sun's hotels and Singita's resorts.
Of course, local wine lovers can expect to part with a little more because of these wines' rarity and quality.
Notably, Namibians bought 10 percent of the available wines on auction. It was followed by Ghana, Kenya and Mozambique.
Rwanda, a prolific buyer of South African wines at the auction in the past years, was a notable absentee this year. This could be as a result of the current diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Bidders also showed a soft heart on their side, helping to raise R209000 for charity. They bought 12 bottles (750ml) of Nederburg Vintage Cabernet 1975 for R47500 and the Van Ryn's Charentaise Collection of 10-year-old potstill brandy for R25000.
Charity biggest winner as bidders show soft heart and raise R209000
LIKE whisky, vintage wine has always been perceived as a drink of nobility and generally an extravagance of the rich and famous. This not only because of its capacity to mellow to perfection, but also for gaining value over many years.
Thus, it was for either propensity that wealthy wine lovers from across the Mother Continent, Asia and Europe converged on the Cape winelands last weekend to lay their hands on the rare wines at the Nederburg Auction in Paarl, Western Cape.
Amid the glitter and swagger, wine enthusiasts splurged a staggering R7-million on premier wines during the approximately 10 hours of bidding over two days.
The bidding pitted millionaire against millionaire as well as some of South Africa's leading retail chains such as Checkers and Spar against hospitality industry giants such as Tsogo Sun and resort chain owner Singita.
Nederburg Auction is especially known for its line-up of rare and old wines. Among the oldest wines sold was Lanzerac Cabernet 1957 and a 1975 1.5-litre vintage magnum of the Chateau Gruaud Larose, one of the renowned French producers from the wine-making Bordeaux region.
But what stole the show among the old wines was the 1964 vintage of Nederburg Port, which fetched a whopping R4889 (about R1300 a piece) for six (375ml) bottles.
It might well have been small change for one of South Africa's wealthiest women, Wendy Appelbaum, owner of De Morgenzon wine estate in Stellenbosch, but it was a glorious coup for her to see her wine fetching the highest price for a white wine on the day.
Three 1.5-litre bottles of De Morgenzon Chenin Blanc were snatched for R1333.
The most-sought-after red wine of the day was Hidden Valley Shipwreck Shiraz (2009), a case of which was grabbed for R7333.
The tally of R7-million was a breakthrough for South African wine, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the Nederburg Auction this year. Last year, the auction achieved comparatively lower sales at R4.3-million.
Auction manager Dalene Steyn was understandably joyous: "This is indicative of strong demand for premium South African wine.
"South African wine has long been undervalued and this year's edition proved to be a correction of this trend."
At least local wine enthusiasts are assured access to most wines sold because they were responsible for about 69 percent of the wines.
Tsogo Sun spent R723900, followed by the Spar Group, Singita and Checkers. This means these rare wines can be bought at these retail chains as well as enjoyed by guests who stay at Tsogo Sun's hotels and Singita's resorts.
Of course, local wine lovers can expect to part with a little more because of these wines' rarity and quality.
Notably, Namibians bought 10 percent of the available wines on auction. It was followed by Ghana, Kenya and Mozambique.
Rwanda, a prolific buyer of South African wines at the auction in the past years, was a notable absentee this year. This could be as a result of the current diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Bidders also showed a soft heart on their side, helping to raise R209000 for charity. They bought 12 bottles (750ml) of Nederburg Vintage Cabernet 1975 for R47500 and the Van Ryn's Charentaise Collection of 10-year-old potstill brandy for R25000.
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