From the beginning of the Nederburg Auction in 1975, the five wineries to originally share the first bidding platform have gone on to consistently achieve selection status for almost every consecutive auction since then. For 36 years, the virtually uninterrupted presence of Delheim, Groot Constantia, Nederburg, Overgaauw and Simonsig has been a testament to carefully crafted, superior wines, and provided an incentive to greater wine standards, the core value that underpins the auction.

From the beginning of the Nederburg Auction in 1975, the five wineries to originally share the first bidding platform have gone on to consistently achieve selection status for almost every consecutive auction since then. For 36 years, the virtually uninterrupted presence of Delheim, Groot Constantia, Nederburg, Overgaauw and Simonsig has been a testament to carefully crafted, superior wines, and provided an incentive to greater wine standards, the core value that underpins the auction.

This year, to honour the auction’s heritage, the original ‘big five’ have delved into their cellars to find wines sold at the 1975 auction or similar wines. The result is a rare collection of Heritage Wines that will be sold at the start of the auction on Saturday 4 September 2010.

Delheim offers one bottle each of the 1975 Pinotage and 1974 Goldspatz Stein – the latter featured on the first auction and is, in the words of Spatz Sperling as quoted in the 1975 catalogue, ‘a freak of nature – a true vintage wine’.  Both bottles will be sold together as one item with a reserve price of R2 000.

In 1975 Groot Constantia showcased a 1970 and 1972 Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as a Pinotage and Shiraz, both of 1972 vintage. This year all but the 1970 Cabernet are on auction as a Heritage Wine item – a bottle of each cultivar of 1972 is on offer as a package at a reserve price of R4 500.

Nederburg has a case of 12 x 750 ml bottles of Vintage Cabernet Sauvignon 1975 available for the auction, at a reserve price of R4 000. Made by the doyen of the SA Wine Industry, Günter Brözel, in the first year of the auction, this well-aged wine shows tertiary flavours and its fruit characters remain clearly in evidence.

At a reserve price of R2 500, Overgaauw’s heritage offering includes two bottles of their 1975 Cabernet Sauvignon, made by Braam van Velden, as well as a bottle of 1972 Pinotage, which was made by father and son team David (Snr) and Braam. Commenting on the wines, Braam’s son David, who represents the third generation of this highly successful winemaking family, says; “These wines were carefully chosen for the Nederburg Auction, particularly the 1972 Pinotage, which was the first Pinotage to be bottled under the Overgaauw label.” David adds; “As a family the Van Veldens cherish our close and long relationship with the auction, and we felt that these wines are representative of the journey that we’ve experienced with the event for the past 36 years.”

Last but not least, Simonsig, which showcased a 1972 Pinotage at the first auction, made by Frans Malan, will offer three bottles of the 1978 Pinotage in a special presentation pack at a reserve price of R1 500. Current cellarmaster Johan Malan says; “The 1978 Simonsig Pinotage comes from a superb red wine vintage and is a real collector’s item – it carries the historic 100% Pinotage label, which was the first wine label in South Africa to show a percentage – it’s a beautifully matured wine, displaying all the velvety sweet fruit and elegance that makes very old Pinotage wines such a rare pleasure to drink.”