Hundreds tasted…only the best make it.

Wines that are submitted for the Nederburg Auction are stringently assessed by a selection panel consisting of winemakers, viticulturists, Cape wine masters, wine consultants and wine judges. Three groups of tasters preside at blind tastings, chaired to ensure absolute anonymity and impartiality and the integrity of the selection process. Each wine is tasted twice by different panels, and the results are audited to determine a fair result.

Every single case that has passed the panel tasting is opened to verify the number of bottles and the level of the wine they contain before they receive the seal of approval. These bottles bear an additional label, providing the date of the particular Auction at which they will be sold.

A full range of Auction wines is presented to the Auctioneer in order for him to prepare his notes. Pre-auction tastings of these wines by potential buyers are also an absolute essential if the buyers are to know what they are bidding for. Apart from the regional tastings, buyers are also afforded an opportunity to taste the wine line-up on the morning of the auction.
As part of the auction’s mandate to offer only the finest, rare wines, the assessment criteria for 2011’s event has been further refined and for the first time sommeliers with international exposure have been brought onto the tasting panels to fine-tune selection.

With sommeliers playing an increasingly influential role in the composition of wine lists around the country, the auction invited four highly respected palates to participate in the judging of wines submitted for the 2011 Nederburg Auction.
Chosen both for their exposure to wines of excellence from across the world and their focus on matching wines with food, they brought an interesting new perspective to the judging process. Together with the auction’s panellists of winemakers and Cape Wine Masters, their fresh insights injected new vigour and rigour, helping to enhance this year’s selection criteria. The final offering of 159 wines is 15% less than 2010, but it is a selection that reflects the rare, fine vintages that the auction strives to showcase.

Mauritian-born Miguel Chan is the group sommelier for Southern Suns Hotels and has excelled in a range of international competitive sommelier events. He is a taster for the Platter’s South African Wine Guide and a judge in several wine competitions. Neil Grant, who trained in the US, is based at the much-awarded Rust & Vrede restaurant in Stellenbosch. Mia Mårtensson studied in Sweden and worked in that country’s top-rated restaurants before coming to South Africa. She is now a member of the Winery of Good Hope team but still retains her involvement with the Scandinavian Sommelier Association and is active in promoting wine education in the local on-trade. German-trained Jὃrg Pfȕtzner, formerly of Aubergine Restaurant that is celebrated for its wine list is also a taster for Platter’s He consults to private collectors and is a mentor to many South African sommeliers in training.