This year's Cape Winemakers Guild Auction (the 47th) saw another record turnover
for sales of these carefully curated wines, made specially for the Auction by the Guild members
Held over two days in October this year, it was held in association with Auctioneers Strauss & Co in Woodstock
58 wines in 591 lots were sold to reach a final total of R18,223,000
for sales of these carefully curated wines, made specially for the Auction by the Guild members
Held over two days in October this year, it was held in association with Auctioneers Strauss & Co in Woodstock
58 wines in 591 lots were sold to reach a final total of R18,223,000
Attracting the highest bid was Andrea Mullineux's "The Gris" Old Vine Semillon Gris 2025, at R4166 per bottle,
and her final auction closing bid saw R55,000 for the last lot. It is a superb wine
An extraordinary start to the Auction saw Samantha O'Keefe's Lismore Child of Venus Viognier 2025
fetch as much as R3166 per bottle as, later, did Donovan Rall's Noa Syrah
We attended the Saturday session of the Auction. Naturally, a large number of photographs was taken
Sadly, a suspected power spike struck just as we started to upload the pictures from the camera card
and it destroyed the card
All our photographs wiped out. A disaster.
Fortunately, we have helpful friends in Martie Nauschutz of the Cape Winemakers Guild
and fellow photographer Andrew Swarts
and we thank them for giving us permission to use Andrew's photographs for this story
and we thank them for giving us permission to use Andrew's photographs for this story
Andrew’s photographs on this site are © 2026 Andrew Swarts Photography
Lynne took a few photographs with her cell phone and some of these are also here
Lynne took a few photographs with her cell phone and some of these are also here
The Strauss & Co Building, Brickfield Canvas, Cape Town
Cape Classiques and a Méthode Ancestrale from members' farms to welcome and enliven the palate
and white wines to refresh palates
Survivor winemaker Pierre Wahl receiving refreshment
and Bennie Howard CWM makes a point
Catering by Red Pepper Catering of Stellenbosch was exceptional
They laid on oysters, a hugely varied and delicious cold collation and some canapés
which sustained us royally throughout the day.
Chef Dawid Kriel of Red Pepper Catering
Find a plate and help yourself while you take a break from the serious bidding going on in the main auction theatre
which also allowed time to chat and decide which wines to bid on
There was also an online auction, started in August, which finished on the 5th of October
to support the Guild's worthy Protégé Programme which, thankfully, made R655,900 for some awesome lots
41 Protégés have completed the three year internship and nine are currently participating in the programme
including Lulo Bulo and Siseka Mpupu in this photograph
Some of the previous protégés are now doing very well as winemakers for good producers
Final year Elsenberg students were also pouring and giving us information about the wines
We love meeting them, and finding out where in the wine world they are heading; they are our future
Most of these young people have already secured positions for next year
We try to taste all the wines, not all at once, but through the course of the day
The standard is high and the wines are exceptional
Oysters and smoked salmon were as always, extremely popular
Johannesburg wine merchant Corlien Morris, with winemakers Gary Jordan, Jeremy Walker and Samantha O'Keefe
Buyers sampling the auction wines
A full hall of buyers, as well as phone and live on line bidders
Auctioneer Roland Peens confirms a bid
"Yours sir" as the hammer comes down on a lot
Taking bids, senior auctioneer Dr Alastair Meredith
Checking it that was a serous bid
A view from the back of the room
and from the front
Former CEO of Old Mutual, Peter Moyo celebrated his birthday and was presented with a rich, dark chocolate cake
He is always a keen bidder
with his Zambian friends Chandalala Kondolo and Edward Sefuke
Ghenwa Steingaszner, Andrea Mullineux, Martie Nauschutz and Samantha O'Keefe
Keermont winemaker Alex Starey and Andrea Mullineux celebrate the high price received
for her ‘The Gris' Old Vine Semillon Gris 2025, the highest bid of R4166 per bottle at the 2026 Auction
The winemakers and the Strauss team celebrate another successful auction
CWG Chair JD Pretorius celebrates the record total
All the stories we have produced since 2012
can be opened from the archive list near the top of the column on the right of this page