A total of 10,506 litres of wine was knocked down by auctioneers Anthony Barne MW of Bonhams and David Elswood of Christies, with total sales increasing by 23% over last year, in spite of a slightly lower volume on offer of 4% from the 2015 edition. It is a clear endorsement from buyers worldwide, indicating that a strong appetite exists for fine, mature South African wines and that they are willing to back it up with their wallets, says Auction manager Dalene Steyn.
Leading the charge for South African whites was the De Wetshof Chardonnay Finesse 1993 vintage, which reached a record price of R2,000 per 750ml bottle.
Red wine performed particularly well, with a 50% increase in the average price per litre to R961/l. The top red wine fetched an unsurpassed R9,777 per litre paid for 1976 Zonnebloem Shiraz, totalling R22,000 for 3 x 750ml bottles.
Steyn says South African buyers claimed the biggest portion of wine purchases with two thirds of the sales. “International participation however is on the increase with 3% more successful bids by international buyers, totalling 18%.”
Distell Group MD Richard Rushton concurs: I think more and more international buyers are taking a keen interest. They see a massive value in the quality of our wines and are happy to pay fair prices.”
Continuing the trend from last year, more private buyers entered the Nederburg Auction. These buyers accounted for 22% of total sales. Steyn says this was a result of Distell’s strategy of making the Auction more accessible as a platform for collectors buying in their own capacity.
“This resulted in markedly more competitive bidding. We noted a 11% increase in buying from all registered paddles. This is encouraging, and in line with the Distell strategy for the Auction. Further, it shows that our producers are increasingly receiving fair value for what are world-class wines.”
Tsogo Sun was the top buyer for 2016, with a total of just over R1 million, followed by the SPAR group and the Singita group of luxury lodges.
Keynote speaker and British Master of Wine Tim Atkin said he had never felt more positive about the quality of South African wine. “The 2015 vintage is part of the reason why - but so are the improvements I’ve seen first hand in the vineyards and cellars of the Cape over the last 26 years. There has never been so much great South African wine available. And increasingly, these are wines with a true sense of terroir.”
A total of 18 lots were sold at the annual Nederburg Charity Auction, which raised just over R500 000 for two community-based organisations, the Breytenbach Centre in Wellington and the Hope Through Action project in Paarl. The highest price achieved was R70,000 paid for a single 750ml bottle of Petrus, 1988, signed by Christian Moueix that was donated by auctioneer Anthony Barne MW.
The lifestyle programme was exceptional, with guests treated to a menu created by Bertus Basson, one of South Africa’s top chefs, and famous land artist Strijdom van der Merwe, who put his unique stamp on the Auction’s décor.
Steyn concludes: “The Nederburg Auction is committed to inspiring tomorrow’s legacy today. Our job is to help build South Africa’s wine heroes of the future while protecting the best of our winemaking past.”
View more information, including a short video summary on the sales here.