Canadian leg for auction
2005-03-04
FOR the first time in the history of the Nederburg Auction, a satellite version touches down overseas – at the 27th Annual Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival in Canada, where South Africa is the theme country.
"Both prestigious events have in their own right been highlights on the world's wine calendar for the past three decades," says Julie Cheetham, communications manager, Distell.
"The decision to go off-shore is an important commitment to developing the international profile of the auction. The Nederburg Auction has grown from five participants in 1975 to 92 in 2005, and now ranks as one of the world's top five major auctions.
"Our presence at an international venue helps us meet our objective of developing an awareness of South African wines globally, and to provide a fair distribution platform for rare wines.
"It also gives top Canadian trade and media a glimpse of South Africa's showcase wine event, now in its 31st year. This is significant in the light of the fact that Canada is one of the country's leading export destinations and last year growth in sales volumes was 40%."
The Vancouver Playhouse Wine Festival runs from 14 to 20 March and features a record number of 174 wineries from 17 countries. It attracts a growing body of support from the United States and nearly 20 000 visitors are expected this year.
The satellite Nederburg Auction will offer a selection of 38 wines made by 28 top winemakers whose products are representative of the diverse wine regions of the Cape.
The well-known wine writer and connoisseur, Dave Hughes, who has been associated with the auction since inception, will wield the hammer instead of veteran auctioneer Patrick Grubb who has presided over 30 auctions and knocked down wines to the value of more than R80 million – an unsurpassed record in the annals of wine auctioneering.
Many of this year's Nederburg Auction participants are represented at the satellite auction on 19 March - Bellingham, Delheim, De Wetshof, Fleur du Cap, Graham Beck, Jordan (under their international Jardin banner), Ken Forrester Wines, Meerendal, Morgenhof, Plaisir de Merle, Rustenberg, Rust en Vrede, Saxenburg, Stellenzicht, Vergelegen, Villiera, Warwick, Zonnebloem, and Nederburg - as well as participants from previous years – Buitenverwachting and Nitida.
Other special participants are Beyerskloof, Boekenhoutskloof, Meerlust, Robertson, Springfield, Swartland and Van Loveren.
Two world-famous winemakers whose wines are on the satellite auction are Nederburg's legendary former cellarmaster Günter Brözel and Beyers Truter of Beyerskloof.
Brözel was the first to gain international acclaim at the International Wine and Spirit Competition's Winemaker of the Year in 1985, not least for his noble late harvest dessert wine creation, Edelkeur, which was the raison d'ętre for the Nederburg Auction in the first place.
Beyers Truter was awarded the Robert Mondavi Trophy as the International Winemaker of the Year at the 1991 International Wine and Spirit Competition in London. Truter has twice received the trophy for the best-blended red wine at the International Wine and Spirit Competition.
More
News
|
