You’ve got to pick a bottle or two, even though they’re a pretty penny

It probably has nothing to do with Covid-19, but suddenly we’re having a bit of a mini wine-auction season. The first such event was the Old Johannesburg Warehouse (OJW) Sale in late April. Quite a lot of the stock offered by OJW is old and visibly unloved, but this doesn’t deter bargain hunters willing to take their chances with not-always-perfect storage conditions. I’ve shopped there over the years and had surprisingly few disappointments, and the satisfaction of picking up some real gems. To know more about upcoming auctions go to oldjwauctioneers.com

It was followed by a lineup from the opposite side of the spectrum: a single-seller sale that opened Strauss’s Johannesburg Live Virtual programme on May 16. Here the wines were some very impressive collectibles for the well-heeled with deep pockets. While there were a few bottles that had clearly been kept too long, most of the lots were properly collectible, though at prices that would have made even the arch-culprits unmasked at the Zondo commission blanch a little before raising a paddle.

The Cape Fine and Rare sale took recently at the Rupert Museum in Stellenbosch. It’s an exclusively SA wine sale, a modern incarnation of the Nederburg Auction, which dates back to 1975. I was one of a panel of four judges charged with selecting the wines for inclusion based on inherent quality, maturation potential (or “safe” longevity for the old wines) and “investment potential”.

I’m not comfortable with the idea of buying wine solely with a view to speculating on it. Mine is not a position driven by strong ethical considerations, such as being opposed to the slave trade. It’s more about losing the emphasis on wine as an aesthetic creation intended to produce pleasure and enjoyment. Of course, the system needs to be self-funding, and if you haven’t aged it yourself, you have to be ready to reward someone who took the risk and did the job for you. Our test of the “investment” potential of these wines was simply: “Would the wines be worth more (and be much harder to obtain) a year from now?”

On this basis there was pretty much nothing you wouldn’t be happy to buy at the sale, at prices well above the published reserve. Richard Kershaw’s Elgin Chardonnay 2016 is comfortably worth R500 a bottle; Lismore’s 2014 Syrah attracted several bids above its R5,000 per six-bottle reserve. The 2010 La Motte Pierneef Shiraz Viognier was offered with a R400 a bottle reserve.

There were some lovely old Nederburg wines, including the 1975 Bin R103 Cabernet-Shiraz, and some splendid, world-class dessert wines. There was also a small selection from Neil Ellis, of which the Jonkershoek Cabernet 2015 was worth buying — to drink some now and keep the rest for as long as you like. There were some extraordinary parcels from the Old Vine Project — mixed cases of wines so rare that there’s only one bottle of each in the case of 12.

The wines from David & Nadia’s single vineyard sites, Skaliekop and Hoë-Steen, were offered in three vintage verticals and worth a hot pursuit online, on the phone or in the auction hall on the day. DeMorgenzon’s Reserve Chardonnay and the cellar’s very rare “The Divas” Chenin Blanc were worth a comparable effort. The selection from the Cap Classique producers, to celebrate 50 years of Cap Classique, had some rarities, including a 1994 Graham Beck. There were also a number of excellent wines from Jordan, including the 2011 Cobbler’s Hill and the 2013 Nine Yards Chardonnay.

The undoubted highlight of the auction was the 1821 Grande Constance, one of the few remaining bottles of the original legendary Constantia, recorked (and checked for quality and, insofar as it’s possible, authenticity). I’ve been privileged to drink this ancient wine and other vintages like it, often. No matter how elevated your expectations, the wine beats them every time.

For more info contact sune@capefinerarewine.auction