Charity Auction boasts impressive line-up
2009-08-20
A an integral part of the Nederburg Auction, the 2009 Nederburg Charity Auction will be held on Saturday 12 September, in the auction hall at the close of the main event. Once again, a number of unusual wine items will come under the hammer. In a year that marks 350 years of winemaking in South Africa, it is only fitting that the first of the 15 items on auction was created specifically to commemorate this anniversary as well as that of the 35th Nederburg Auction. The Nederburg Tribute Shiraz 2007 is winemaker Razvan Macici’s tribute to the legends of South African winemaking. Only 300 litres were produced from a single vineyard block in Philadelphia and one of three special sets, each totalling 65,25 litres, will be auctioned this year. Last year, the Nederburg Charity Auction raised R227 600 Another item of historical significance comes from Meerendal, one of the original 14 wine estates proclaimed in 1973. Fifty years ago, in 1959, PK Morkel’s Pinotage from Bellevue Estate was designated Grand Champion at the Cape Young Wine Show – and to celebrate this achievement, Dirkie Morkel has produced a 3-litre bottle of the Bellevue Pinotage 2006 especially for the charity auction. Among the more unusual items on auction this year is a set comprising six magnums of Kopano. The Sotho word for “let us build”, Kopano is a fitting name for a wine that is a blend of 17 different red wine varietals from 221 wineries in South Africa. The result is a wine that connoisseur Dave Hughes, summed up as “dangerously enjoyable.” Only 450 litres were produced. While there is good reason to focus on South African wines this year, the charity auction also includes a number of exceptional international wines. The oldest of these is a 750 ml bottle of Madeira AG Pacheco 1927, donated by current auctioneer, Stephan Welz. This wine has been described by world-renowned wine taster and the auction’s previous auctioneer, Patrick Grubb, as “luscious, finely balanced and very long on flavour.” Christian Radoux of Radoux Coopers, France, has also donated three excellent imports. The first is a 1,5-litre bottle of Chateau d’Armens 1929, a “Grand Cru” Appellation Contrôlée Saint Emilion. It is regarded as one of the greatest vintages of the century. Then there is a 750 ml bottle of 1949 Chateau La Closerie du Grand Poujeaux – Moulis-en-Médoc and finally, a 750 ml bottle of 1959 Château Rabaud-Promis – Grand Vin de Sauternes. Ranked as Premier Cru Classé in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, Château Rabaud-Promis belongs to the Sauternes appellation in Gironde, in the region of Graves. This rare 50-year-old Sauterne still has a fantastic fill height and a magnificent colour. Other participants at this year’s auction who have also donated generously include De Wetshof, with a special collection of three of the estate’s quality wines, Nuy, which offers a rare collection of award-winning Muscadel wines, and Graham Beck Wines, which has given three 750ml bottles of the Cuvée Clive 2003 vintage in a beautiful presentation pack. Nico van der Merwe from Saxenburg has donated three 750ml bottles of the Shiraz Select “SSS” 1998 vintage, while Groot Constantia’s cellar master Boela Gerber has offered a 5-litre bottle of their Gouverneurs Reserve 2003. Two rare magnums from the Zonnebloem collection also included: the Cabernet Sauvignon 1978 and Shiraz 1979. .
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