Very few Cape Winemakers Guild members associated with cellars that aren’t among South Afica’s very best
FOR SOME the annual Cape Winemakers Guild Auction is an opportunity to acquire some of what amounts to the best tanks or barrels before they’re combined with others nearly as good for sale in commercial quantities. For others it’s a chance to get one or more of the special cuvées from top cellars, wines made in tiny quantities, sometimes very unique, unusual or experimental even.
Of course, the wines aren’t cheap – this year selling for around R435 per bottle on average overall and R850-plus on average at the high end. But then when you buy at the CWG Auction it’s like choosing in a shop where everything on offer ranges from good to excellent to some of the very best. Most of the cellarmasters involved have impressive track records and this is reflected in the strength of their brands.
In fact more useful than the auction or the identities of the guild members are the names of the cellars where these winemakers are based or the brands that they spend most of their time building. Take Carl Schultz’s Hartenberg Auction Reserve Shiraz 2010 which set a new record for the highest price per six-bottle case of R6200 and fetched an average of R4015 a case… Few will get to enjoy this wine, but there are four other remarkably good Shiraz wines made at this Stellenbosch Estate – including three versions that are much easier to come by.
In fact more useful than the auction or the identities of the guild members are the names of the cellars where these winemakers are based or the brands that they spend most of their time building. Take Carl Schultz’s Hartenberg Auction Reserve Shiraz 2010 which set a new record for the highest price per six-bottle case of R6200 and fetched an average of R4015 a case… Few will get to enjoy this wine, but there are four other remarkably good Shiraz wines made at this Stellenbosch Estate – including three versions that are much easier to come by.
The last time the Hartenberg proprietors were offering their ultra premium Gravel Hill Shiraz it was selling for R675 a bottle, but there’s also The Stork Shiraz at just over R390, the Hartenberg Shiraz at R130 and the Doorkeeper Shiraz at around R73 a bottle – all more affordable than the auction stuff and three of them among the Top 20 SA Shiraz on the basis of reviews by the world’s top wine judges.
Not all of South Africa’s very best winemakers are members of the CWG – cellarmasters including Neil Groenewald (Bellingham), Hermann Kirschbaum (Buitenverwachting), Thys Louw (Diemersdal), Anthony de Jager (Fairview), Hannes Storm (Hamilton Russell), Bruwer Raats, Eben Sadie, Nico van der Merwe (Saxenburg), Rudi Schultz (Thelema) and André van Rensburg (Vergelegen) might not have been invited, turned down their invitation or were part of the guild before opting to bail for whatever reason. Still, it’s no surprise that most of the CWG members head up top cellars where a lot of the country’s finest wines come together.
CWG MEMBERS’ CLAIM TO FAME:
AA Badenhorst: Adi Badenhorst – Good White Blend, Good Red Blend
Ataraxia: Kevin Grant – Top 10 Chardonnay, Top 50 White Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Beyerskloof: Beyers Truter – Top 20 Pinotage, Top 10 Red Blend, Top Wine SA Hall of Fame, Top 50 Red Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Boekenhoutskloof:Marc Kent – Top 10 Cabernet Sauvignon, Top 10 Shiraz, Top 20 Unfortified Dessert Wine, Top Wine SA Hall of Fame, Top 20 Red Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Boplaas: Carel Nel – Top 10 Port, Top Wine SA Hall of Fame
Boschkloof: Jacques Borman – Good Shiraz
Bouchard Finlayson:Peter Finlayson – Top 10 Pinot Noir, Top 50 Red Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Cape Point: Duncan Savage – Top 10 Sauvignon Blanc, Top 10 Semillon, Top 10 White Blend, Top Wine SA Hall of Fame, Top 20 White Wine Cellars, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Cederberg: David Nieuwoudt – Top 10 Chenin Blanc, Top 10 Sauvignon Blanc, Top 10 Semillon, Top 10 Cabernet Sauvignon, Top 10 Shiraz, Top Wine SA Hall of Fame, Top 20 White Wine Cellar, Top 20 Red Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Chamonix: Gottfried Mocke – Top 10 Chardonnay, Top 10 Pinot Noir, Top Wine SA Hall of Fame, Top 20 White Wine Cellar, Top 50 Red Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
De Grendel: Charles Hopkins – Top 20 Sauvignon Blanc, Top 20 Merlot, Top 50 White Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
De Trafford: David Trafford – Top 10 Cabernet Sauvignon, Top 20 Shiraz, Top 10 Unfortified Dessert Wine, Top 50 Red Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
The Drift (Mary le Bow): Bruce Jack – Good Red Blend
Edgebaston: David Finlayson – Good Chardonnay, Good Cabernet Sauvignon
The Drift (Mary le Bow): Bruce Jack – Good Red Blend
Edgebaston: David Finlayson – Good Chardonnay, Good Cabernet Sauvignon
Ernie Els: Louis Strydom – Top 10 Red Blend, Top Wine SA Hall of Fame, Top 20 Red Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Flagstone: Bruce Jack – Top 20 Sauvignon Blanc, Top 20 White Blend, Top 20 Pinotage, Top 50 White Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Graham Beck: Pieter Ferreira – Top 10 Sauvignon Blanc, Top 20 Shiraz, Top 10 Cap Classique Sparkling Wine, Top Wine SA Hall of Fame, Top 20 White Wine Cellar, Top 50 Red Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Flagstone: Bruce Jack – Top 20 Sauvignon Blanc, Top 20 White Blend, Top 20 Pinotage, Top 50 White Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Graham Beck: Pieter Ferreira – Top 10 Sauvignon Blanc, Top 20 Shiraz, Top 10 Cap Classique Sparkling Wine, Top Wine SA Hall of Fame, Top 20 White Wine Cellar, Top 50 Red Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Grangehurst: Jeremy Walker – Good Red Blend
Groot Constantia:Boela Gerber – Top 20 Chardonnay, Top 20 Pinotage, Top 50 White Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Hartenberg: Carl Schultz – Top 3 Riesling, Top 10 Merlot, Top 10 Shiraz, Top 50 White Wine Cellar, Top 20 Red Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Haskell: Rianie Strydom – Good Shiraz
Hermanuspietersfontein:Bartho Eksteen – Top 10 White Blend
Jordan: Gary Jordan – Top 10 Chardonnay, Top 20 Chenin Blanc, Top 3 Riesling, Top 20 Cabernet Sauvignon, Top 10 Red Blend, Top Wine SA Hall of Fame, Top 20 White Wine Cellar, Top 20 Red Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Kaapzicht: Danie Steytler – Top 10 Pinotage, Top 10 Red Blend, Top Wine SA Hall of Fame, Top 20 Red Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Kanonkop: Abrie Beeslaar – Top 10 Cabernet Sauvignon, Top 10 Pinotage, Top 10 Red Blend, Top Wine SA Hall of Fame, Top 20 Red Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Kleine Zalze: Johan Joubert – Top 10 Chenin Blanc, Top 10 Sauvignon Blanc, Top 10 Shiraz, Top 20 White Wine Cellar, Top 50 Red Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Lanner Hill: Nicky Versfeld, previously of Stellenbosch Vineyards (Co of Wine People) – Top 20 Sauvignon Blanc
Le Riche: Etienne le Riche – Top 20 Cabernet Sauvignon
Louis: Louis Nel, previously of Hidden Valley and Warwick – Good Cabernet Sauvignon
Luddite: Neils Verburg – Good Shiraz
Miles Mossop – Top 10 White Blend, Top 50 White Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Mullineux: Andrea Mullineux, previously of Tulbagh Mountain Vineyards – Top 10 White Blend, Top 20 Unfortified Dessert Wine, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Neil Ellis – Top 20 Cabernet Sauvignon, Top Grenache, Top 50 Red Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Nitida: Bernhard Veller – Top 20 White Blend, Top 50 White Wine Cellar
Overgaauw: Braam van Velden – Good Cabernet Sauvignon, Good Red Blend
Paul Cluver: Andries Burger – Top 10 Chardonnay, Top 10 Pinot Noir, Top 10 Unfortified Dessert Wine, Top Wine SA Hall of Fame, Top 20 White Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Rijk’s: Pierre Wahl – Top 20 Chenin Blanc, Top 10 Semillon, Top 10 Pinotage, Top Wine SA Hall of Fame, Top 50 White Wine Cellar, Top 20 Red Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Rust en Vrede: Coenie Snyman – Top 10 Merlot, Top 10 Red Blend, Top Wine SA Hall of Fame, Top 20 Red Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Saronsberg: Dewaldt Heyns – Top 10 Shiraz, Top 20 Red Blend, Top 20 Red Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Simonsig: Johan Malan – Top 20 Chenin Blanc, Top 10 Pinotage, Top 20 Shiraz, Top 10 Red Blend, Top 10 Cap Classique Sparkling Wine, Top 20 Unfortified Dessert Wine, Top Wine SA Hall of Fame, Top 50 White Wine Cellar, Top 20 Red Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Spier: Frans Smit – Top 10 Chenin Blanc, Top 20 White Blend, Top 10 Cabernet Sauvignon, Top 20 Merlot, Top 10 Pinotage, Top 10 Shiraz, Top Wine SA Hall of Fame, Top 50 White Wine Cellar, Top 20 Red Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Steenberg: John Loubser – Top 10 Sauvignon Blanc, Top 10 Semillon, Top 20 White Blend, Top 10 Merlot, Top 20 White Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Teddy Hall – Good Chenin Blanc
Steenberg: John Loubser – Top 10 Sauvignon Blanc, Top 10 Semillon, Top 20 White Blend, Top 10 Merlot, Top 20 White Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Teddy Hall – Good Chenin Blanc
Villiera: Jeff Grier – Top 10 Cap Classique Sparkling Wine, Top 20 Unfortified Dessert Wine, Top 100 Cellars Overall
Vriesenhof: Jan Boland Coetzee – Good Chardonnay, Good Red
Waterford: Kevin Arnold – Top 10 Cabernet Sauvignon, Top 20 Shiraz, Top 50 Red Wine Cellar, Top 100 Cellars Overall
For more about the Cape Winemakers Guild and information regarding past and future auctions, click here. For more about the SA Wine and Cellar Classifications, click here.
For more about the Cape Winemakers Guild and information regarding past and future auctions, click here. For more about the SA Wine and Cellar Classifications, click here.