Cape Winemakers Guild

The Annual Guild Auction

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The Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction

The annual Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction showcases rare and unique wines produced in small quantities exclusively for the auction by the members of the Guild. The wines have undergone rigorous screening by an independent laboratory before being tasted blind and selected by specialist panels of Guild members.

Important Information

Auction Number: 40th
Auction Date: 4 & 5 October 2024
Platform: Strauss & Co

How Do You Bid?

Bidding takes place live and virtually on the Strauss & Co website once a year. Bidders will need to create a bidding account on Strauss & Co’s website.

What You Can Expect

Bidders can look forward to more than 48 unique wines produced in small quantities exclusively for the Cape Winemakers Guild Auction.

Our History

1982

Formation of the Cape Independent Winemakers Guild (CIWG). The founding members were Achim von Arnim, Billy Hofmeyr, Braam van Velden, Etienne le Riche, Jan ‘Boland’ Coetzee, Kevin Arnold, Peter Finlayson and Walter Finlayson. At the time, South Africa was isolated and travel was limited so knowledge sharing and benchmarking against wines from around the world were foremost.

1985

The first CIWG Auction, run by Stephan Welz Auctioneers with seasoned wine auctioneer David Molyneux-Berry presiding, was held in Johannesburg. David would preside over the first seven auctions, which were all held in Johannesburg.

1989

Safmarine was the guild’s first sponsor. Their company, Southern Hemisphere Wines, helped get wines to the London Wine Trade Fair as South Africa was not allowed to export due to sanctions.

1992

The CIWG Auction moved to Cape Town under the management of Robin Grier, late father of longstanding Guild member, Jeff Grier, with well-known South African wine personality, Dave Hughes, conducting the auction.

1993

The Michael James Organisation took charge of the auction which it ran for the next five years.

1997

There were only 16 guild members. Sanctions had just become a thing of the past and there was buoyancy in the market.

1996

Nedbank became the guild’s sponsor.

1998

Hofmeyr Mills were appointed as auctioneers with Henré Hablutzel wielding the gavel.

1999

The Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Development Trust was founded by the CIWG, with the assistance of Nedbank, to further the education of those living and working within the South African wine industry. Kate Jonker was appointed to the CIWG office. The appointment of Johan Krige as business advisor helped create a solid business platform for the guild.

2000

The word ‘Independent’ began to lose its value as trading allowed for international sales. A strategic meeting was held at which the constitution was amended and the CIWG changed its name to the Cape Winemakers Guild (CWG).

Auction packaging was given a makeover with the new logo, the iconic key, giving the guild wines a unique brand identity. A constitution and a code of conduct were formulated and put into use by the CWG.

2001

Kate Jonker was appointed as general manager of the CWG, a position she still serves in with distinction to the present date. Her appointment provided structure, organisation and a professional ethos to the CWG.

2002

The first CWG Auction Showcase was held in Johannesburg.

2003

At a strategic planning session the vision of the guild was formulated as ‘Leaders in the art of winemaking’. The core ethos of the CWG wines was cemented and described in two words, viz ‘Excellence’ and ‘Credibility’. The large CWG Seminar was also replaced with smaller, exclusive master class events instead.

2004

Specialist panels and benchmark wines as controls were introduced at the selection tastings

2005

Wine of Origin was added to the CWG auction labels.

An emeritus membership category, ‘Keeper of the Key’, was implemented for members who have made a great contribution to the CWG as a form of recognition. François Naudé and Norma Ratcliffe were the first emeritus members.

2006

The CWG Protégé Programme was founded by Philip Costandius.

2007

Howard Booysen joined the CWG Protégé Programme as the guild’s first
protégé.

Philip Costandius, who was chairman at the time, implemented a drive to improve
the marketing and brand building of the CWG.

First tasting of CWG wines by Steve Tanzer of Wine Spectator and James
Molesworth of International Wine Cellar.

2008

Bernhard Veller, as treasurer, implemented a 25% sales levy to cover all costs of the auction. This meant that members would no longer be required to pay an entry fee and a sales levy.

New member nominations started earlier in the year, giving members more opportunity to get to know the nominees at technical tastings.

The auction selection process was refined and an even higher quality of auction wines was offered.

2010

A CWG Protégé Programme curriculum was drawn up to give more focus and structure to the programme.

Lynne Sherriff (MW) was made an honorary member of the CWG.

2011

The selection criteria of wines for the annual auction were revised to boost creativity and achieve greater diversity of wines crafted exclusively for it.

2014

CWG members brought home no less than eight trophies from the Decanter World Wine Awards, the lion’s share of international and local trophies awarded to South African wines. Four out of the five International Trophies and four out of the seven Regional Trophies went to six members of the CWG.

2018

The title of 2018 Diner’s Club Young Winemaker of the Year was awarded to a former protégé of the CWG, Rudger van Wyk, assistant winemaker at StarkCondé, for his Stark-Condé 2016 Stellenbosch Syrah.

2021

This year marked the 25th year of sponsorship by Nedbank.

2022

In a world first, five Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild (CWG) protégés, composers, and neuroscientists have collaborated to create a piece of music that pairs with any glass of Cabernet Sauvignon – scientifically and creatively using music notes to interact with your brain to enhance the tasting notes of the wine.

As of April, the CWG had 42 winemakers as members and 38 protégés on the CWG Protégé Programme to date, of whom 18 currently hold leadership roles in the South African wine industry and seven are still on the programme.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild (CWG) Auction

When does the 2024 Nedbank CWG Auction take place?

This is a virtual live auction, with two sessions spread over two days:

  • Friday, 4th October from 13:30 – 20:00
  • Saturday, 6th October from 10:00 – 17:00
  • You only need to register once for this auction to bid on both days

Which wines will be auctioned on which days?

  • All wines will be offered on both days.
  • You only need to register once for this auction to bid on both days.

Do I have to register separately for the Nedbank CWG virtual live auction and the Protégé Programme online-only auction to bid on both?

  • Yes, even if you are an existing client, you need to register to get a bidder number for each auction. You will only be able to bid once you have your bidder number.
  • When you register, please give Strauss & Co permission to share your information with the CWG. This is vital to ensure that you receive your wine correctly.

How do I register to bid on the Auction?

You first need to sign up for a Bidder’s Account at www.straussart.co.za. Once you have created a Bidder’s Account, you can register to bid on all the Auctions by following the quick and easy registration process.

When can I register?

  • Registration can only take place once an auction has gone live on the Strauss & Co website. A ‘Register to Bid’ button will appear once the auction is live.
  • The 2024 Nedbank CWG Auction is scheduled to go live on 21 August.

I’ve registered, how do I sign in?

Once you have registered, you can use your email address and password to sign in by simply clicking ‘Sign In’ in the top right-hand corner of the homepage.

What bidding options do I have?

Virtual live bidding

  • Purchasing items on our live virtual auction can be done online through the Strauss website (www.straussart.co.za) or in person at the auction venue.
  • Live virtual auctions will go live when the sale opens and will be conducted by one of Strauss’s auctioneers.
  • You will be able to place a pre-sale bid or a commission bid prior to the start of the auction.
  • You will need to be present virtually at our live virtual auctions to ensure you don’t miss out on your lots. You do not get sent a notification if a higher bid is received before the auction or during the virtual live auction.
  • On the day, you will be able to bid on an item one at a time or increase your pre-sale bid as the auctioneer opens and closes lots.

Telephone bidding

Telephone bidding is only available for our virtual live auctions. Some clients prefer to have a Strauss & Co staff member call and represent them when their lot comes up during an auction. To receive a telephone bidding form, please email bids@straussart.co.za and request a form. This needs to be completed and returned before Thursday, 3 October.

Absentee bids

Absentee bids are only available for our virtual live auctions. They are also called commission bids and may be placed by filling out and submitting an absentee bidding form. To receive an absentee bidding form, please email bids@straussart.co.za and request a form. This needs to be completed and returned before Thursday, 3 October. You will not be notified that you have been outbid until after the auction.

How will I know if I was successful?

Once the virtual live auction has closed on Saturday, 5 October 2024, Strauss & Co will send you an email confirming which lots you have purchased on both the Friday and Saturday sessions, and how to check out. Strauss & Co will invoice you for your purchases and you will pay them directly.

When you check out, you will be asked how you would like to get your wines. The options are:

  • Have wine delivered by The Vineyard Connection (delivery is complimentary within South African borders).
  • Collect your wine from The Vineyard Connection warehouse in Stellenbosch.
  • Collect your wine from the wineries.
  • Have your wine stored at Wine Cellar in Observatory.
  • Export your wine.

How do I pay?

Successful bidders are required to make payment for their purchases to Strauss & Co by no later than two days after the date of sale (being from the fall of the auctioneer’s gavel), or on such other date as Strauss & Co and the buyer may agree upon in writing.

Payment can be made by:

  • Electronic funds transfer (EFT)
  • Credit card (MasterCard, Visa and Diner’s Club)
  • Telegraphic transfer (TT); remitter to bear all costs.

When will I receive my wine?

Your wine will be ready for delivery or collection from 1 November 2024.  All wine must be taken delivery of, or collected, before 30 November 2024. No wine will be delivered or released until the full purchase price has been received and cleared by Strauss & Co.

CWG Protégé Programme Auction

When does the CWG Protégé Programme Auction take place?

This is an online-only auction running that opens on Tuesday, 10 September at 08:00 and closes from 18:00 on Monday, 7 October 2024.

Do I have to register for the Protégé Programme Auction?

Yes, even if you are an existing client or you have already registered for the Nedbank CWG virtual live auction, you need to register to get a bidder number for this auction. You will only be able to bid once you have your bidder number for this auction.

When can I register?

  • Registration can only take place once an auction has gone live on the Strauss & Co website. A ‘Register to Bid’ button will appear once the auction is live.
  • The CWG Protégé Programme Auction is scheduled to go live on Tuesday, 10 September 2024.

How do I bid?

You may bid on all items during this period with the winning bid being the highest bid at the close of the auction at 18:00. (NB: Please see ‘Lot bidding extensions’ below.)

How do I submit a commission bid for an online auction?

When placing a bid, you have the option of submitting a commission bid. This will allow you to set a maximum amount on a lot which the system will bid on your behalf until your maximum bid has been reached. You will then be notified once you have been outbid. To increase your bid again, simply sign in and place a higher bid on the lot.

Why does it look like I am bidding against myself?

This happens when multiple commission bids are received on the same lot. The bid that was received first will be the bid that is accepted. All the other bids of the same value are ‘pushed’ into the bidding history so that they are acknowledged even though they have not been accepted. These are also known as ‘Push Bids’. This is the reason why it sometimes appears that a bidder is bidding against themselves.

To achieve the best possible results on our online-only auction platform, and to make the bidding process as fair and manageable as possible for sellers and all prospective bidders, Strauss & Co have implemented commission bids and lot bidding extensions (see below).

What happens when I am still bidding against someone at the close time of the Auction?

Where there is bidding activity on a particular lot within five minutes prior to the lot’s allocated closing time, there will be a five-minute bidding extension on that lot until only one bidder remains. These extensions will continue indefinitely until there is no more bidding activity on the lot for a period of five minutes, implying that there is no further interest. This extra time is designed to accommodate interested bidders and allow them to compete for a lot until their ceiling has been reached. This is also designed to avoid the last-minute rush when bidders log onto Strauss Online at the end of the auction to leave a single winning bid seconds before the sale’s closing time. This is called sniping and is considered unfair practice to both buyers and sellers. The lot bidding extension has been designed to avoid this.

What are the bidding increments for this online-only auction?

Under R2 000: R100

R2 000–R5 000:  R200 and then R300 (R2 000, R2 200, R2 500, R2 800, R3 000…)

R5 000–R10 000:  R500

R10 000–R20 000:  R1 000

R20 000–R50 000:  R2 000 and then R3 000 (R20 000, R22 000, R25 000, R28 000…)

R50 000–R100 000:  R5 000

How will I know if I have been outbid on this online-only auction?

Notifications are only sent out during an online-only auction. The system will send you an email and an SMS every time you are outbid on a lot. During the last hour of the online-only auction, we suggest that you sign in and keep an eye out on your lot so as to not lose out on last-minute bidding.

If you are bidding on multiple lots and want to keep an eye on all your bids, please locate the ‘Current Bids’ tab under your account. You will be able to view all your current bids and bid directly from that page should you be outbid.

How will I know if I was successful?

Once the online auction has closed, Strauss and Co will send you an email confirming which lots you have purchased and how to check out.

Meet The Members

South Africa’s leading winemakers

In order to take part in these Auctions, you will need to follow three simple steps before bidding.