The AfrAsia Bank Cape Wine Auction launched at precisely the same time in eight of the world's most iconic wine-loving locations: Sao Paolo, Seattle, Zurich, Franschhoek, Mauritius, Hong Kong, Manilla and Sydney corks popped to toast a dazzling Champagne brunch, Seatle held a stylish lunch and in Sao Paolo, Hong Kong, Manila and Sydney a glittering cocktail after-party. The Auction will be held in March 2014 and is modelled on the famous Napa Valley event of the same classification and is planned to be the most significant international wine-charity auction South Africa has ever conceived. The Auction will be a top-drawer three-day affair that celebrates - on a global stage - all that is great about South Africa's vinous offering, while uniting the industry around a common philanthropic goal. The Cape Wine Auction is sponsored by AfrAsia Bank, winner of Euromoney's Best Local Private Bank Awawrd for three consecutive years. The three-day agenda for the Auction opens on the night of 13 March 2014 with a 'Bring-a'Magnum' party hosted by one of South Africa's most presitigious Franschhoek properties. Multiple high-end Winelands events follow on the Friday, including a stylish 'Barrel Auction' hosted by beautiful Waterford Estate. The three day event culminates in the stylish luncheon and Auction on Saturday, 15 March - a celebratory tour de force of wine and culinary elegance hosted by the country's top winemakers and a culinary team lead by Grande Chef Margot Janse of le Quartier Francais fame. Sharing Nelson Mandela's belief that "Education is the most powerful weapon which can be used to change the world", the AfrAsia Bank Cape Wine Auction is invested in uplifting local South African winelands children through education. The charities aligned with the Auction are The Pebbles Project (www.pebblesproject.co.za) whose purpose it is to enrich the lives of children from disadvantaged backgrounds with special educational needs, and MAD CHARITY (Make A Difference) (www.madcharity.org) which strives to give academically talented by economically disadvantaged young South Africans an opportunity to reach their full potential as the leaders and role models of tomorrow. For more information go to: Website: www.thecapewineauction.com Twitter: @capewineauction Facebook: www.facebook.com@thecapewineauction