Wine for good: Fine wines auctioned to support young protégés

Wine lovers and winemakers came together for the Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild auction showcase in Johannesburg on Wednesday night which offered a taste of wines that have been created by some of the country’s best vintners  to be auctioned in this year’s annual Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction.

The showcase also featured a silent digital auction of rare wines, signed bottles and a collection created by the third year students in the CWG protégé programme to raise funds for the programme. 

A three-year internship which pairs aspiring winemakers and viticulturists with some of the top vintners in SA, the protégé programme drives transformation in the industry by providing skills transfer, practical experience, knowledge sharing and mentorship to young talents who might otherwise not have had a foot in the door.

Each protégé is mentored by a different member of the CWG for each year in the programme, so across the three years they work at three different wine estates.

Third year protégés Kyle Davids, Thabile Cele and Anique Ceronio each made their own wine through the programme which was included in Wednesday night’s auction. The lot of wines made by the protégés  received the highest bid of R5,200 for six bottles.

Davids is based at Glenelly Estate in Stellenbosch for his final year in the programme. He produced a Mac-Arthur 2021 Bordeaux-style blend.

“It’s been long nights and hard work, but it was fun. It’s my first time making wine and a special moment, one of my biggest highlights of the three years. It was incredible to be able to make my own decisions and make mistakes and learn from it and be part of making wine,” he said.

Five of the protégés in the programme were also involved in a campaign launched this year in which they paired wine and music. Tasting Notes: A Story of Sound and Wine was a partnership between neuroscientists, composers and winemakers to create a marriage between a piece of music and a glass of cabernet sauvignon.

This year saw the inclusion of two first-year protégés, Shanice du Preez and Mosima Mabelebele, who both studied winemaking at Stellenbosch University. Next year they will start their own journey towards producing their first wines.

Du Preez has been mentored at Kanonkop Wine Estate this year and will be moving to De Grendel next year where she’s considering making either shiraz or sauvignon blanc. “[The protégé programme] is definitely important because they focus on people of colour and young winemakers,” said the 23-year-old.

“It helps open doors and experiences that they most likely wouldn’t have had. I like to compare it to my class when I studied. I always felt I was the underdog because most of my classmates came from a background where their father owned a farm or they were farming in the family.”

Mabelebele has been mentored at Hartenberg Estate and will be moving to Groot Constantia next year where she is considering a foray into chardonnay.

“For me it’s more getting guidance and getting support from the industry. We get to see people we will be dealing with in future,” said the 23-year-old about the programme and opportunity to be involved in showcases of this nature.

The 2022 Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction will take place on September 31 and October 1 and will showcase rare and unique wines produced in small quantities exclusively for the auction by members of the guild. Visit the website for more information.