Strauss & co fine wine auction

The inaugural Strauss & Co Fine Wine auction in June was a “great success” according to chairperson Frank Kilbourn. The event indicated the growing popularity of auctions as a platform for the buying and selling of premium wines. Roland Peens, director of Wine Cellar fine wine merchants and one of the partners in the fine wine program, commented, “This is an exciting time for fine South African wines and the auction results buck the current economic conditions. We also received excellent insight into which wines and brands are considered auction-worthy in South Africa.” Top results included a 275ml bottle of Jaubert Family Muscat 1800 – a solera-style sweet wine held since 1800 by the Jaubert family, who releases two bottles per year – that was sold for R51 200. This is a record price for a South African wine, which international critic Neal Martin scored 99 points in 2011. The GS Cabernet 1966 –now a 20th century South African icon – sold for R34 140, setting another record for a South African wine. Produced as an experiment by then Monis winemaker George Spies, it was reportedly very tannic in its youth and the bottles were given away as gifts. Leading wine authority Jancis Robinson scored this wine a perfect 20/20 in 2015, the first ever ‘perfect’ SouthAfrican wine. The next Strauss & Co Fine Wine Auction takes place on 14 September 2019 at The Westin, Cape Town.

www.straussart.co.za/strausswine