ABOUT THE AUCTION

As a means of promoting their wines, the members of the Guild held their first public Auction in 1985. Following its early success, the Auction, sponsored by Nedbank for the past 12 years, has become a major annual event on the South African wine calendar and takes place on the first Saturday in October every year.

To download the details of the 2007 Auction, click here. Or visit details of the 2007 Auction wines on our navigation bar

Wines sold at the Nedbank CWG Auction are exclusive. They are produced by the members in small quantities, especially for the Auction, and are not available anywhere else (unless when re-sold by auction buyers).

Auction wines undergo rigorous screening by the members of the Guild at a blind tasting, where the identity of wines being tasted is not revealed. Wines are selected for their technical excellence, premium quality and maturation potential and strict controls ensure that all Auction offerings are distinctively different from those offered under the members’ usual labels. Wines submitted are also subjected to a panel of specialists consisting of Guild members who are experts with a particular cultivar or style. Wines that fail to meet the Guild’s strict requirements are not accepted for the Auction.

The Auction selection provides members with a constant measure of their winemaking skills. Should a member fail to have a wine selected for Auction for three consecutive years, he or she could have their membership withdrawn.

The Auction is open to the public and attracts both local and international bidders, including wine enthusiasts, private collectors and bidders from the corporate, hospitality and trade sectors. There is no separate retail or wholesale tier and everyone bids against each other on an equal basis.

There is a strong fundraising element to the CWG Auction in the form of a silent auction, consisting of exquisitely packaged, rare and handcrafted wines prepared by the Guild members for this occasion. Funds raised through the Silent Auction are donated to the Nedbank CWG Development Trust.