When the debonair Patrick Grubb wielded the hammer at the first Nederburg Auction in 1975, he little realised that it was history in the making. Patrick, previously of Sotheby’s wine division in London, is the first auctioneer in history to have presided over the same event for 31 consecutive years – a feat recognised in the Guinness Book of Records. He announced his retirement at the 2005 auction.

During the 1998 Auction Patrick Grubb announced the establishment of the Patrick Grubb Bursary – 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.

The Patrick Grubb Bursary initiative, which ran for 11 years in association with the Nederburg Auction, has enabled nearly 20 individuals from previously disadvantaged communities, working in the wine industry, to gain international experience in the vineyards of some of the world’s finest wine regions.