Sales of some of South Africa’s best wines at the 29th Nederburg Auction, which ended on Saturday, reached a new record of R7,5-million, with prices rising 7% on those of 2002.
The two-day event, the most prestigious on the calendar for the local wine industry, was attended by 1 600 buyers and guests from 32 foreign countries.
South African wholesalers, supermarkets, hotels, restaurateurs, liquor licensees, game parks and fine wine shops bought 82% of the wine, and international buyers the balance of 18%.
The top 10 buyers bought nearly half the wines on offer, with wholesale giant Makro taking over the top slot from the Spar retail group. Makro bought 801 cases of wine for R702 000, accounting for 9% of total sales, while Pick ‘n Pay, the second biggest buyer, bought 964 cases for R645 740, or about 8% of auction sales.
A Russian merchant banker and wine collector, Igor Ledecky, bought 259 cases totalling R435 810, which did not include his closing bid of R140 000 on the single case of six 750 ml bottles of Lanzerac Pinotage 1966. THe proceeds were later donated to charity.
Other buyers included The Butcher Shop and Grill of Sandton, Metcash, Shoprite/Checkers, the Cape Town Fish Market, Cybercellar, Big Five Duty Free and the Heinitzburg Hotel in Namibia, which bought twice as much as last year.
Red wine prices went up 9%, dry white wines by 4%, semi-sweet wines 11%, noble late harvest wines 10%, port 33% and sparkling wines 26%.
The highest price paid for red wine was the opening bid — R7 000 for six bottles of Lanzerac Pinotage 1968, with the average price being R1 423 for a 9-litre case.
The highest price for white wine was R1 250 for six bottles of Iona Sauvignon Blanc 2001, making its debut on the auction. The average price for dry whites was R712 rand for a 9-litre case.
The highest price for a Noble Late Harvest wine was R6 600 for six bottles of Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 1986, double what was paid for the 1987 vintage on the 2001 auction. The average NLH price was R1 756 for a 9-litre case.
The highest price for port was R7 400 for six bottles of Monis Collectors Port 1948 (Stamp Collection), for the second consecutive year — nearly three times higher than last year when it went for R2 700. The average price for port was R1 125 for a 9-litre case.
The highest price paid for fortified wine was R410 for six bottles of Nuy Red Muscadel 1996, the same price paid last year for the Nuy White Muscadel 1994. The average price for fortified wine was R533 for a 9-litre case.
The highest price for sparkling wine was 740 rand for a three-litre bottle of MCC Sparkling Pongrácz 1992, whose 1990 vintage went for R680 last year. The average price for sparkling wine was R899 for a 9-litre case.
Veteran auctioneer Patrick Grubb has, since inception of the auction in 1975, knocked down more than 240 000 cases of wine to the value of nearly R75-million.
Allan Cheesman of Sainsbury’s in the United Kingdom, the first British speaker at the auction, said that what the local wine industry needed to do, and was starting to do, is create a powerful generic brand South Africa initiative. “You need to define exactly what you wish to do competitively, communicate it effectively, and work together.”
A record price of R140 000 was paid for six bottles of Lanzerac Pinotage 1966 on the charity auction by Russian buyer Igor Ledecky after fierce bidding against Douw Krugmann of the Cape Town Fishmarket in aid of the Hospice Palliative Care Association. Altogether R322 000 was raised for the Hospice Association. At the novel celebrity show in aid of Mothers 2 Mothers, a health and educational support programme for HIV-positive women, another R116 000 was raised. – I-Net-Bridge