2011 auction line-up impresses local wine critics

“In the history of the auction I’ve missed very few pre-auction tastings, and none so far has shown the quality and depth that has been visible this year” – Michael Fridjhon

“This is the strongest line-up of white wines that I’ve seen” – Neil Pendock

“The Nederburg Auction is definitely ratcheting up the quality” – Fiona McDonald

“These are wines with character. Wines that stand out” – David Biggs

These are a few of the observations made by some of South Africa’s leading wine commentators at a recent pre-auction tasting held at Nederburg, of approximately 50 of the 2011 Nederburg Auction wines.

Words such as ‘consistent’, ‘premium’, ‘visible’ and ‘good quality’ were used to describe the selection of wines that were tasted, which offered a good representation across this year’s stylistic spectrum. The Chardonnay category elicited a surprising favourable response – read more about how this flight was rated on Cape Chatter.

Although overall volumes are down 15% from 2010, local wine media were in agreement that it is reflective of a clever, more careful approach to provide a more exclusive line-up of wines, initiated by a stricter selection process, which for the first time saw sommeliers participate on the judging panel.

Collectively the media’s overwhelmingly positive response delivers a verdict that serves to confirm that the Nederburg Auction is well on its way to achieving its objective to be a showcase for this country’s finest, most rare wines.

View more of the comments from this pre-auction tasting in the clip below:

Nederburg Auction wines surprise and please

Woodstock in Cape Town was the place to be earlier this week, as wine enthusiasts gathered at the Upper Eastside Hotel to sample and savour a selection of some of SA’s finest wines. A 2004 Syrah from Marcel de Reuck, an elegant 2005 Merlot from De Grendel, Le Bonheur’s acclaimed Prima 2001, and a 2005 Nederburg Private Bin Eminence, the beautiful dessert wine produced by 2011’s Platter’s SA Wine Guide Winery of the Year, were just four of the 19 wines that members of the public previewed with Cape Wine Master Bennie Howard, who hosted the seated tasting.

The pre-tasting provides an ideal opportunity for the public to experience some of the extraordinary wines on offer at the annual Nederburg Auction, which is only open to licensees. Wines purchased at the auction are available at selected wine shops, and liquor and supermarket outlets shortly after the auction, and are easily identifiable by the ‘Sold at the Nederburg Auction’ sticker, clearly visible on all Nederburg Auction bottles sold at the event.

Congratulations went to Melissa Chetty, an avid Merlot supporter, who was the lucky winner of a pair of tickets to attend the actual event at Nederburg in Paarl on 16th and 17th September.

Click on the clip below for an overview and some some comments from the evening. Tickets for the Joburg public tasting event on Wednesday 27th July are still available through Computicket.

Limited speciality wines to open Saturday’s bidding floor at 37th Nederburg Auction

Some are there because of their age; others because of their sense of occasion. Whatever the reason for their extraordinariness, you’ll find a piece of bottled exceptionality in this year’s Nederburg Auction Private Collection category, which opens the second day’s bidding at this year’s event on September 16 and 17 at Nederburg in Paarl.

Introduced for the first time, the Private Collection category serves to accommodate exceptional wines that are available in extremely small quantities, from producers who have literally been treasuring their last few bottles for an event such as this. “Each wine included in this year’s selection of 14 items has an original story to tell that enhances the rarity, uniqueness and collectability of these wines”; says Nederburg Auction business manager Dalene Steyn.

A perfect example is the 1974 Cabernet Sauvignon from Rustenberg, the last vintage made by this winery’s former owner/winemaker Reg Merriman Nicholson, and which, according to current owner Simon Barlow, was probably his best. “Most of this wine was in fact consumed at my sister’s wedding – we do not even have a bottle in our wine library at Rustenberg, so it is extremely rare indeed”. Simon believes that it is vintages like this one that show South Africa can make world class wines – a great reason to perhaps bid on the item himself, as he comments (insert YouTube link to video).

An item that underpins the ultimate sense of occasion, marking a monumental period in our nation’s history, was specially bottled for the inauguration of former president Nelson Mandela. The 1994 Graham Beck MCC was made by Pieter Ferreira and is not easily available on the open market. One case of four 1.5 litre bottles, at a reserve price of R1 000, will be sold.

One of the oldest South African bottled wines still available that features in the Private Collection line up is a spritely 1930 Red Muscadel Jerepigo from KWV. Despite its age, this wine still displays an astonishing freshness with an amazing array of flavours, including spicy and herbal naunces. Just six bottles of this 81-year-old wine will be offered at a reserve price of R1 200. Staying with the ‘grandfathers’ of South African wines, a fantastic matured wine from the 60s comes from Chateau Libertas, the original trendsetter for blended natural wines in South Africa more than 70 years ago. One case of just three bottles of the 1961 vintage, at a reserve price of R3 000, will be sold.

Dalene concludes; “Buyers who bid on the Private Collection wines at the start of the Saturday auction on September 17 will not only be buying a special wine – they will also be purchasing their own special piece of bottled exclusivity.”

The complete list of this year’s Private Collection wines is included in the catalogue, available for electronic download on the auction  website.

Surfer donates one-of-a-kind 10-bottle collection for greater good

One of the most sought after and best-performing wines from South Africa in the international arena features on the 2011 Nederburg Charity Auction, which takes place at the close of the main auction on Saturday September 17th at Nederburg in Paarl.

Winemaker Eben Sadie, of Sadie Family Wines, who also happens to be a skilled surfer, has put together a special case of 10 bottles of his renowned Columella, from the 2000 to 2009 vintages, marking a decade of this celebrated wine produced in the Paardeberg Mountains of the Swartland region. Due to the limited production of this wine, it is almost impossible to find some of the older vintages on the open market and a case of the historic 10-year line of the development of this limited wine is a rarity. Columella is a blend of Syrah and Mourvédre, and is, says Eben; ‘a true wine of terroir that has always been about place above progress”.

The charity sale offers unusual wine items, many of them collectors’ items. Alongside the Columella collection is the last of three sets of Nederburg Tribute Shiraz 2007, specially created by visionary Nederburg cellarmaster Razvan Macici to mark the 35th anniversary of the Nederburg Auction and 350 years of wine at the Cape in 2009.

As well as impressive local wines, the charity auction is privileged to have several top-ranking foreign wines included in this year’s line-up. Donated by Swedish wine personalities Britt and Janåke Johansson is one of the most exclusive, sought after sweet wines in the world – a 375ml bottle of Oremus Tokaji Eszencia 2000, of which just a few hundred bottles were made. Hungary’s world-famous Tokaji, often referred to in literature as the ‘wine of kings and the king of wines’, is incredibly difficult to forget once tasted. Although very sweet, with a residual sugar content of 468 grams per litre, the enormous acidity perfectly balances this beautiful nectar, offering a spectacular richness and an unequalled flavour.

Another international item was donated by Auctioneer Anthony Barne MW and is also a dessert wine; this time a First Growth from the commune of Sauternes, on the banks of the Garonne river in the southern part of the Bordeaux vineyards. The acclaimed Chateau d’Yquem 1986 made, like all Sauternes, from noble late harvest grapes, was given a 98-point rating in Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate of January 1998.

One of the doyens of SA wine, Duimpie Bayly, has donated three extraordinary old wines from the Distell tabernacle, including a two-bottle collection from the 70s that come from the acclaimed McWilliams winery in Australia. He comments further (in the clip below) on these marvellous old wines.

This year’s charity auction also benefits from items donated by Zonnebloem, Fleur du Cap, La Motte, and Stellenrust. Last year’s charity sale raised R169 500 for the Goedgedacht Trust, the Pebbles project Trust and World Vision SA Mbekweni in Paarl. This year consideration will once again be given to locally-based community projects. Anyone may bid, and all proceeds raised will go to community-based organisations. View the complete list here.

Nederburg Auction Public Tastings

If you have an appreciation for exclusive, fine wines, join Cape Wine Master Bennie Howard for a preview of some of the extraordinary wines on offer at this year’s annual Nederburg Auction. You’ll have an opportunity to taste, amongst others, a 2004 Syrah from debut participant Marcel de Reuck, an elegant 2005 Merlot from De Grendel, Le Bonheur’s acclaimed Prima 2001, and a 2005 Nederburg Private Bin Eminence, the beautiful dessert wine produced by 2011’s Platter’s SA Wine Guide Winery of the Year.

As only licensees may bid on the Auction, which takes place on September 16 and 17, the pre-tasting is the ideal opportunity for wine lovers to select the wines you would like to acquire, which can be purchased on your behalf by your local liquor outlet, wine shop owners or supermarket wine buyers.

Cape Town: Wednesday 13th July at the Upper Eastside Hotel, Woodstock, from 19:00.

Johannesburg: Wednesday 27th July at the Balalaika Protea Hotel, Sandton, from 19:00

Tickets cost R120 per person and will include sparkling wine on arrival and canapés afterwards. Tickets available through Computicket

Up for grabs: The Nederburg Auction is offering a set of tickets each to the Cape Town and Joburg public tastings. Become a Fan of the Nederburg Auction through Facebook and stand a chance to experience the cream of local wines. Click here for details.

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From a simple beginning that saw 15 wines knocked down for R237 000 at the inaugural event in 1975, the Nederburg Auction of rare South African wines has evolved over almost four decades to become a major event on the local and international wine calendar – one that is known for showcasing only the cream of South Africa’s finest wines.

Offering a rare opportunity to select, sample and bid on a stringently selected range of wines from the country’s premium winemakers, estates and cellars, the Nederburg Auction’s expression lies in its desire to encourage greater wine standards, develop an awareness of South African wine and to ensure fair distribution of fine, rare wines.

Cream of SA’s wines to be sold at 37th Nederburg Auction

“Exclusivity”, “prestige” and “ultimate indulgence” are just some of the expressions that come to mind when a selection of more than 160 of South Africa’s finest wines come together with the sole purpose of going under the hammer at this year’s annual Nederburg Auction at Nederburg in Paarl on September 16 and 17.
Incredibly, the majority of SA’s 18 official wine routes will be represented when Anthony Barne MW, the London-based auctioneer from Bonhams, sells off a collection of the country’s most prized liquid assets to local and international wine buyers, including supermarket retailers, liquor licensees, restaurant owners, food and beverage buyers for hotels, guesthouses and game lodges.
Anthony, who takes up the hammer for the second consecutive year, recently tasted the 2011 auction selection line-up and offered these comments: “Once again I was most impressed, by both the reds and the whites to be offered – the quality of fruit in the wines is of a very high order and from there it comes down to individual wine-making styles.  Some of these – the Cabernets and Bordeaux blends in particular – reflect the philosophy of the early 1990′s when rich tannins, deep colours and oak flavours were the order of the day with Saint Emilion wines from Bordeaux leading the charge.
The Pinotages were a very enjoyable experience and absolutely vindicated the policy decision to make this variety a South African speciality, rather than marginalising it. Chenin blanc, the other variety closely associated with South Africa, was represented by only a few wines, but there were some real peaches amongst them, while the Sauvignon blancs, in their various styles, were a source of unending pleasure.  I seem to remember commenting last year on how much harder it was to sell whites than reds at the auction and I hope that anyone tasting this year’s showing will be waving their paddles vigorously.”
Referring to the sweeter wines, Anthony says; “Muskadels are an idosyncratic style,  one that I am learning to appreciate, although there are similarities with one of my favourite wines, aged tawny ports.  Vintage ports and sweet wines, on the other hand, are always easy to enjoy and I had no trouble in doing so, the younger ones full of sweet richness and the more mature ones showing the subtle complexities that come to us all with time.”
Last year saw auction prices hit a high note, with overall income jumping to nearly R6 million, up 41% from 2009. Nederburg Auction business manager, Dalene Steyn, is keen to build on the success of 2010 and propel this historically prestigious event firmly into the local and international spotlight.
“The Nederburg Auction is now in its 37th year, which is an exciting achievement in terms of the event’s longevity”; comments Dalene. “As with any longstanding event, the existing brand platform needed to be carefully evaluated and brought in line with the auction’s objective to be a showcase for our country’s finest, most rare wines. The result is a wine platform with a more modern look and feel that imparts a feeling of luxury and prestige – in line with the caliber of the wines that we strive to offer – that still retains the quality and depth that the auction brings as embedded value.”
She adds; “The new look and feel has been implemented across multiple levels, including the logo, website, catalogue, and the distinctive Nederburg Auction sticker that is applied to all bottles sold at the event, which serves as an additional unique selling point, giving these wines a competitive advantage that certainly enhances shelf appeal from a quality and endorsement point of view.”
The original five producers, who have participated on every auction since 1975, are again represented. They are Delheim, Groot Constantia, Overgaauw and Simonsig, and, of course, Nederburg. Debuting alongside these stalwarts and other of the country’s finest producers are newcomers Ataraxia, JP Bredell Wines, Capaia, Deetlefs Familie, De Morgenzon, De Reuck, Fryer’s Cove, Orange River Cellars and Perdeberg Winery.
Dalene concludes; “With a combination of long-established and newer names associated with the auction, we are confident in bringing buyers a varied and impressive spectrum of the country’s best-of-best and rare wines, offered in a range of lot sizes to cater to mainstream and boutique buyers.”
For further information and to subscribe to the Nederburg Auction newsflash visit www.nederburgauction.co.za

The man with the gavel

Anthony Barne MW from Bonhams in London took up the hammer for the first time at the 36th Nederburg Auction in 2010. He is only the third auctioneer in the history of the Nederburg Auction to play this vital role, following in the footsteps of the legendary auctioneer Patrick Grubb and Stephen Welz.
Anthony made the small step from the army to the wine trade in 1978, having developed the interest while serving on the Governor of Gibraltar’s staff. 
 
His wine trade career started in a wine shop, followed by a brief spell working at Domaine Thenard in Burgundy and Seppelts in South Australia. His career until 1992 was in mail order and wine buying, first with Hicks & Don, where he passed the Master of Wine exam in 1985 and for whom he still acts as buying consultant, and then Harveys of Bristol.
 
Since then he has been a wine auctioneer, currently working for Bonhams in London as UK Head of Wine. As an auctioneer, Anthony’s main pre-occupation is with the classic wine regions of France and also Vintage Port and Madeira, but he has many other interests including Austria, for which he is a judge at the Decanter World Wine Awards.

The impression made by the tastings that he did of the Nederburg Auction entries both in 2010 and 2011 have turned him into a walking (and talking) advertisement for the wines of South Africa.
As well as wielding the gavel for the main auction, Anthony also contributes to the rare wine items that will be sold at this year’s Charity Auction, which raises much-needed funds for several community-based initiatives. He donates a bottle of Chateau d’Yquem 1986, a Premier Cru Supérieur wine from the Sauternes, Gironde region in the southern part of the Bordeaux vineyards known as Graves.
This vintage was given a 98-point rating in Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate of January 1998:
..This is a fascinating effort. With greater evidence of botrytis than the colossal 1983, but less power and alcohol, the 1986 Yquem tastes reminiscent of the 1975, only more precocious, as well as more concentrated. Several highly respected Bordeaux negociants who are Yquem enthusiasts claim the 1986 Yquem is the greatest wine produced at the property since the legendary 1937. Its enthralling bouquet of pineapples, sauteed hazelnuts, vanillin, and ripe apricots is breathtaking. Compellingly concentrated, the breadth as well as depth of flavor seemingly know no limits. This full-bodied, powerful, yet impeccably balanced Yquem should provide memorable drinking for 40-55 more years. Like the 1983, this is another winemaking tour de force…

An opportunity to taste SA’s finest wines

Style, artistry and an unwavering passion for showcasing only the cream of our country’s finest wines has shaped the annual Nederburg Auction of rare South African wines into a towering event on the local and international wine calendar. Now in its 37th year, this prestigious event offers a rare opportunity for local and international wine buyers to select, sample and bid on a stringently selected range of wines from the country’s premium winemakers, estates and cellars.

Recognised as one of the world’s five major wine auctions, the Nederburg Auction offers quality, fine wines that are often only available in limited quantities and not on the open market. Lots are structured to afford buyers the flexibility of purchasing according to their individual volume requirements. The event has a threefold purpose: to encourage greater wine standards; to develop an awareness of South African wine and to ensure fair distribution of fine, rare wines.

To experience a foretaste of the wines that will come under the hammer on September 16th and 17th, join Cape Wine Master Bennie Howard and a few leading local winemakers at a series of pre-auction trade and public tasting events to be hosted in all the major regions in July. Click on the Calendar of Events to find out more.

The Wine Selection Process

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.

A good year to start a fine wine auction

The year 1975 was responsible for a number of significant events on the timeline that makes up mankind’s history. Proclaimed by the United Nations as International Women’s Year, it also fell in the middle of a period nostalgically known as the greatest music decade of all time, with disco, glam rock and punk music leading the way, but followed closely by the emerging genres of reggae, hip hop and heavy metal – the success of British heavy metal rock group Led Zeppelin, who released the album Physical Graffiti on the 15th March 1975 and became the first band ever to have six albums in the US chart simultaneously, is well documented.
That same year, in another first that was perhaps not quite as musically explosive but significant nonetheless, the very first Nederburg Auction of rare Cape wines took place at Nederburg in Paarl. From a simple beginning that saw 15 wines knocked down for R237 000, the auction has evolved over nearly four decades into a significant event on the local and international wine calendar that is known for showcasing only the cream of South Africa’s finest wines.