1975: The overall average price of R19,12 per case was realised. Edelkeur fetched a modest price – and was sold by a Sea Point retailer for hardly more than the price of Lieberstein, SFW’s popular vin ordinaire which became the biggest brand in the world in the 1960s. Only 15 wines from five participants went on auction – and auction sales totalled R237 000.

1980: The permanent auction hall was built in 1980, and named after Johann Graue, a previous owner of Nederburg, in recognition of his extensive contribution to quality wine production in South Africa

1986: The internationally respected winemaker, author and academic, Dr Hans Ambrosi from the Geisenheim Agricultural Institute, Germany, was the guest speaker. Founder of the German Wine Academy in 1973, he had established the world-renowned wine auction at Kloster Eberbach on which the Nederburg Auction was based. Interestingly, he had lived in South Africa from 1955 to 1966, and was based at the Viticultural and Oenological Research Institute Nietvoorbij.

1987: Heralding the Chardonnay wine cult, Nederburg introduced the first Chardonnay onto the Nederburg auction – a 1984 vintage.

1989: The first woman guest speaker to address the auction was Miramar Torres

1991: Nederburg celebrated its 200th anniversary.

1992: Export buyers led the field, with Far Live Trading from Taiwan buying 16,05 percent of total sales, followed by Aroma Liquors with 6,44 percent and WP Cellars with 6,2 percent. Checkers came fifth with 4,32 percent and SPAR ninth with 2,61 percent.

1993: The shape of things to come as the supermarket trade enters the wine arena. Top buyer was Shoprite/Checkers with 8,7 percent of total sales, followed by Marcows with 5,6 percent and Far Live Trading of Taiwan with 4,4 percent.

1994: With the first South African democratic elections imminent in the country, the export market again led the field: Top buyer was Amka Vinimport of Denmark with 16,6 percent of total sales, followed by Wu Chiu Lin Trafficker with 13,6 percent and Shoprite/Checkers with 7,7 percent.

1995: Nederburg placed the first MCC Sparkling Wine on the auction: The 1990 Nederburg Cap Classique Private Bin C92 Cap Classique de Chardonnay.Total auction sales were R2 908 530, with 107 wines from 39 participants and an average price of R379,32. For the second year running the top buyer was Amka Vinimport of Denmark with 11,2 percent of total sales, followed by Wu Chiu Lin Trafficker with 10,9 percent and WP Cellars with 5,5 percent, Makro came fifth with 3,4 percent, SPAR sixth with 3,3 percent and Shoprite/Checkers 10th with 2,4 percent.

1996: The top buyer was Makro with 10,5 percent of total sales; followed by Amka Vinimport of Denmark with 9,3 percent and Aroma Liquors with 5,5 percent.

1997: For the first time in the history of the auction a single buyer bought wine worth more than R1 million: Mr Adams Wu, president of Wu Chiu Lin International Trading Company, Taiwan whose purchases of R1 003 420 accounted for 22,8 percent of total sales – and comprised a variety of rare Cape wines destined to be distributed as corporate gifts. Overseas buyers accounted for 40 percent of total sales.

1997: The first speaker from the young Slovak Republic in Eastern Europe was L’ubomir Vitek, general director and chairman of the biggest wine company, Malokarpatsk Vinársky Podnik.
Another highlight was the official opening of the Pinotage Pavilion – a permanent undercover venue – by auctioneer Patrick Grubb.

1998: During the 1998 Auction Patrick Grubb announced the establishment of the Patrick Grubb Scholarship – jointly funded by the Nederburg Auction – to enable people from previously disadvantaged communities working in the wine industry to gain experience in the world’s finest wine regions.

1998: This year also saw the unveiling of the Nederburg Auction Centre, the first complex of its kind in South Africa, specially equipped to meet the needs for a stunning venue for large groups of up to 2000 guests.

1998: Export buyers accounted for 25 percent of total sales. The top buyer was Makro, accounting for 10,06 percent of total sales, followed by Pick ‘n Pay with 7,67 percent and SPAR with 6,9 percent.

1999: The Nederburg Auction celebrated its silver anniversary with record sales totalling R5 545 370 and 124 wines from 58 participants with an average price of R800,87. Shoprite/Checkers were the top buyers buying R527 400 worth of wine, representing 9,51 percent of total sales, followed by Makro with 8 percent, and SPAR with 7,7 percent.The R1-million mark was passed on the first day of bidding in just under an hour – a figure that was only reached for total sales in 1986.

2000: The SPAR Group were the top buyers, with 11,5 percent of total sales, followed by Makro with 10,6 percent and Big Five Duty Free with 8,1 percent. Following the merger of Distillers Corporation and the Stellenbosch Farmers’ Winery, Nederburg became part of the Distell group. Thelema Chardonnay Reserve 1998 achieved the highest price ever paid for a Chardonnay at the Nederburg Auction – a case of six bottles at R1 500.

2001: For the second time in the history of the Auction, a single buyer topped the R1-million mark when SPAR bought twice as much as the previous year R1,231-million, accounting for 19,1 percent of total sales.

2002: The pre-release wine category was introduced.

2003: Saw the all-new contemporary colour-look and the introduction of fashion lounges and pouring rain for the first time in the auction’s history! The biggest buyer was wholesale giant Makro followed by Pick ‘n Pay. A Russian merchant banker and wine collector Igor Ledecky spent R435 810 which did not include his closing bid of R140 000 on the single case of six bottles (750 ml) of Lanzerac Pinotage 1966 – this amount was later donated to the charity auction.

2004: Nederburg celebrates its 30th anniversary.
Supermarket retailers and wholesalers continued their dominance of the top ten buyers, accounting for 33% of total sales. Highlight was the symbolic handover of the key to the doors of the new Heritage Centre to Günter Brözel – tribute to his legendary career spanning 33 years, as Nederburg cellarmaster. The highest overall price paid was for the Monis Collectors Port Stamp Collection 1948 – R12 000 for a 6 x 750 ml case. The Malbec cultivar made its debut – coincidentally also the first Malbec from the Nederburg cellars: the pre-release Nederburg Private Bin Auction Malbec R101 2000.

2005: All-time record sale of R7,49 million for 4 955 cases of wines with prices increasing by a whopping 90 percent. The first South African, George Naidoo from Midmar Liquors accounted for 33% of total sales and spent R2,48 million. The theme was biodiversity – in recognition of the fact that the Cape’s biodiversity offers South African winemakers in global markets such a unique and important competitive advantage. Veteran Auctioneer Patrick Grubb announced his retirement as auctioneer for 31 consecutive years.

2006: Stephan Welz took over the role of auctioneer from Patrick Grubb who presided over 31 consecutive Nederburg Auctions, knocking down wine to the value of almost R90 million.  Welz auctioned 156 wines from 86 participants with sales totalling R6 956 180.   The general average price paid per case has risen from R19,12 in 1975 to R1 089 (or R1 599 per 9-litre case) in 2006.

2009: The 35th Nederburg Auction coincided with a major achievement on the historic timeline of the South African wine industry – 350 years of winemaking in the Cape. The first vineyard was planted by Commander Jan van Riebeeck in 1655, three years after he had established the first settlement at the Cape. As a result, he was able to enter in his diary on February 2, 1659, the now famous phrase: “Today, praise be to  God, wine was pressed for the first time from Cape grapes.”

2010: Under the hammer of Anthony Barne MW from Bonhams, overall sales jumped to just under R5, 7 million, up 41% from the just over R4 million fetched in 2009.

2010: A record R62 000 was paid for a single case of 6 x 750 ml bottles of Nederburg Port 1964 (R10 333 per bottle). The special case of Port was bought by Nigerian businessman and importer of wine, Mr Obi Josephat Ndibe. This is the only port ever made at Nederburg by its legendary wine maker Günter Brözel, who retired in 1989. The previous highest price was the 6 x 375 ml bottles of 1959 Chateau Libertas that sold for R23 000 in 2009.

2010: Nigerian businessman and importer of wine, Mr Obi Josephat Ndibe bids for a single case of Nederburg 1964 Port