The Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction Showcase in Cape Town

The Showcase started with a guided tasting for invited guests in the afternoon
Many members of the wine industry regard this as the most important wine tasting of the year, because of the very high standard of all the wines selected for the auction

A glass of bubbly to get the palate ready

Long rows of tables, set with glasses, water and cream crackers

David Biggs and Mike Bampfield-Duggan having a laugh

CWG chairman Louis Strydom made the introduction

The wines were poured by beneficiaries of the CWG Protégé programme which is designed to bring about transformation by cultivating, nurturing and empowering promising individuals to become excellent winemakers

Each winemaker whose wine had been chosen for the tasting introduced it to the audience

Among them, Teddy Hall

Peter Finlayson of Bouchard Finlayson

Rianie Strydom of Haskell Vineyards

Kevin Arnold of Waterford

and Beyers Truter of Beyerskloof

In the evening, all the members of the Guild showed their wines at the public tasting:

Johan Malan of Simonsig with Michael Pownall, GM of the Taj Cape Town

Sjaak Nelson and Gary Jordan of Jordan

Carl Schultz and Heleen Rabe showing Hartenberg Gravel Hill Shiraz

Bernhard Veller and Jacus Marais of Nitida

Xenia and Deon Oliver enjoyed the tasting

Bartho and Suné Eksteen of Hermanuspietersfontein with Xenia and Deon Oliver

Abrie Beeslaar and Heidi Kritzinger of Kanonkop

Paul Cluver's Andries Burger with Warwick's Norma Ratcliffe

Teddy Hall

Photographs © John Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2012