In a year that marks 350 years of wine-making in South Africa, it is only fitting that the first of the 15 items on auction was created specifically to commemorate this anniversary as well as that of the 35th Nederburg Auction. The Nederburg Tribute Shiraz 2007 is celebrated wine-maker Razvan Macici's tribute to the legends of South African wine-making. Only 300 litres were produced from a single vineyard block in Philadelphia and one of three special sets, each totalling 65.25 litres, will be auctioned this year.
Another item of historical significance comes from Meerendal, one of the original 14 wine estates proclaimed in 1973. Not only does the item include two bottles of the 1969 Meerendal Pinotage and one bottle of the 1969 Meerendal Shiraz - the first vintage to be released for both wines - it also includes a copy of the estate's original title deed, dated 6 February 1702, as well as a 350-year commemorative scroll.
Fifty years ago, in 1959, PK Morkel's Pinotage from Bellevue Estate was designated Grand Champion at the Cape Young Wine Show - and to celebrate this achievement, Dirkie Morkel has produced a three-litre bottle of the Bellevue Pinotage 2006 especially for the charity auction. The bottle is the only one of its size and will be signed by Dirkie Morkel and PK Morkel's 96-year-old sister, Gerda van Niekerk.
Among the more unusual items on auction this year is a set comprising six magnums of Kopano. The Sotho word for “let us build”, Kopano is a fitting name for a wine that is a blend of 17 different red wine varietals from 221 wineries in South Africa. The idea for this revolutionary wine was birthed in 2005, when then final-year Stellenbosch University viticulture student, Stefan Gerber posed the question: “What if we made a bottle of wine that really was representative of South Africa?” The result was a wine that connoisseur Dave Hughes summed up as “dangerously enjoyable”. Only 450 litres were produced.
The charity auction also includes a number of exceptional international wines. The oldest of these is a 750ml bottle of Madeira AG Pacheco 1927, donated by current auctioneer Stephan Welz.
Christian Radoux of Radoux Coopers, France has also donated three excellent imports. The first is a 1.5-litre bottle of Chateau d'Armens 1929, a “Grand Cru” Appellation Contrôlée Saint Emilion. It is regarded as one of the greatest vintages of the century and has an amazingly good fill height for an 80-year-old wine. Then there is a 750ml bottle of 1949 Chateau La Closerie du Grand Poujeaux - Moulis-en-Médoc and, finally, a 750ml bottle of 1959 Château Rabaud-Promis - Grand Vin de Sauternes. Ranked as Premier Cru Classé in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, Château Rabaud-Promis belongs to the Sauternes appellation in Gironde, in the region of Graves. This rare 50-year-old Sauterne still has a fantastic fill height and a magnificent colour.
Other participants at this year's auction who have also donated generously include De Wetshof, with a special collection of three of the estate's quality wines, Nuy, which offers a rare collection of award-winning Muscadel wines, and Graham Beck Wines, which has given three 750ml bottles of the Cuvée Clive 2003 vintage in a beautiful presentation pack.
Nico van der Merwe from Saxenburg has donated three 750ml bottles of the Shiraz Select “SSS” 1998 vintage, while Groot Constantia's cellar master Boela Gerber has offered a five-litre bottle of Gouverneurs Reserve 2003. Last, but not least, two rare magnums from the Zonnebloem collection will also be part of the charity auction; the Cabernet Sauvignon 1978 and the Shiraz 1979.
