Nederburg Auction rebrands to push South African fine wines

One of South Africa’s leading fine wine events, the Nederburg Auction, is rebranding as the Cape Fine & Rare Wine Auction in a bid to help drive the premiumisation of South African wines.

As well as the revamped name, the auction is collaborating with auctioneer Christie’s to include a ‘super lot’ of South African wines at a Christie’s sale in London later this year.

Nederburg’s brand owner, Distell, recently created a new fine wine division, Libertas Vineyards and Estates, with the aim of driving both the company and country’s fine wine image around the world.

Libertas’ CEO, Kay Nash, said the vision for the rebranded auction was to use it as a platform to spread the message of high end South African wine and increase their collectability.

She said: “In order to achieve this, we believe that the auction can be a catalyst for change. By growing an industry platform for fine wine producers and leveraging our 44 years of experience and investment we will collectively raise interest in South African fine and rare wines and attract existing, and new local and global buyers.

“Collectors and investors are increasingly seeking out wines that have a story and a strong connection to a particular place or vineyard. They seek rarity, quality and provenance which the line-up of fine and rare wines will certainly deliver on.”

Commenting on the partnership with Christie’s she added: “This platform will provide participating South African producers significant exposure to new buyers and by partnering with Christie’s, we will benefit from their expertise and gravitas in the category and plan to build our presence at global events in a phased approach.”

The auction has not only rebranded but is being moved from the Nederburg Winery to the Rupert Museum in Stellenbosch and, it is hoped, will include wines that have not been offered by the auction before.

Nash continued: “In April we hosted a group of individuals, some who have and some who have never participated in the Nederburg Auction before, to provide input for the new format. The feedback has been constructive and extremely positive.

“The change is all about collaboration and inclusivity. We will continue to work together with the producers, industry and buyers to deliver success for all stakeholders.

“We anticipate that the producers represented at the new format auction will be diverse and the changed selection criteria and reinvented fundamental ethos of the auction will encourage participation by South Africa’s finest producers.”

The first Cape Fine & Rare Wine auction will take place from 18-19 October this year.