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MARKED FOR QUALITY
Each of the 158 wines that will be sold at
the 2012 Nederburg Auction has earned
the Auction’s Seal of Approval, which is
affixed to each bottle as a mark of quality
and authenticity. This golden seal is an
endorsement and a reassurance for both
trade and consumers that these wines
represent the pinnacle of rare, properly
matured, fine South African wines.
Every wine selected for the Nederburg
Auction has to fulfill four criteria before
it can be deemed worthy to come under
the hammer:
• Firstly, the Nederburg Auction encourages
winemakers to submit wines for scrutiny
that they feel represent the pinnacle of
their winemaking skills, and which are no
longer in general circulation in order to
create a rarity factor for the wines that
will be auctioned.
• The wines submitted must be at least five
years old for red wines and two years old
for white wines.
• Each wine must then pass the exhaustive
selection process that sees them overcome
character, style, and quality benchmarks, as
judged by the panel of wine experts that
includes Cape Wine Masters and Sommeliers.
• The final consideration is whether the
wines will, in the opinion of the selection
panel, continue to evolve and mature in
order to provide a return on investment
for buyers.
This unique approach presents buyers with
the opportunity to purchase fine, bottleaged
wines that they can sell or serve
immediately, confident in the knowledge
that the wine will continue to mature and
evolve should they wish to extend its shelf
life in order to extract additional value.
NEDERBURG AUCTION
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.
Now in its 38 th 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. As the
oldest auction in the New World of wine,
the Nederburg Auction is a tribute to the
endeavours of South African winemakers
over three centuries to improve their wines.
OBJECTIVES
An incentive to greater wine standards
The viticulturist runs great risks in producing
a truly noble wine. The Nederburg Auction
is a platform to provide due recognition
and rewards for these efforts – acting as a
showcase for the best that South African
vintners can produce.
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Developing an awareness of
South African wine
The annual auctions at Nederburg have
placed South Africa firmly on the wine
map of the world. It is now recognised
as one of the world’s five major wine
auctions, thus fulfilling a similar objective
to the auctions of Hospices de Beaune in
France and Kloster Eberbach in Germany.
History has shown that this event has
helped to stimulate interest in South
African wines among connoisseurs and
the wine-loving public, both in South Africa
and further afield.
To ensure fair distribution of rare wines
Local and international wine buyers and
connoisseurs have gathered at Nederburg
every year to savour, evaluate and buy the
cream of South Africa’s wines, many of
them outstanding old wines available in
only very limited quantities. The auction
thereby offers a fair means of distribution
of these wines.
At the first auction in 1975, there were
15 wines on offer from five participants.
This year, there will be 158 items
(4 456 cases) from 77 participants (brands,
estates and wineries). Last year, 159 wines
from 69 participants were auctioned. The
average price paid per case has risen from
R19.21 in 1975 to R1 985 per 9-litre case
in 2011.