Johannesburg - South Africa’s Cape Winemakers Guild auction at Spier outside of Cape Town achieved the highest sales on record as more buyers than ever attended the event.
The sales at the event held on October 5 rose 47 percent to 8.4 million rand ($837,570) from 5.7 million rand a year earlier, the Cape Town-based guild said in an e-mailed statement today.
The auction attracted 145 South African buyers and 18 foreign bidders from countries including the UK, Denmark and Belgium, according to the guild.
The Cape Winemakers Guild started 30 years ago and has 45 members including winemakers from Kanonkop, Groot Constantia, Tokara and Ernie Els Vineyards, according to its website.
South Africa’s Nederburg wine auction took place in September offering 132 wines, and prices almost doubled to a record average price per liter of 354.64 rand.
The guild’s auction sold 3,218 cases at an average price of 290 rand per liter, according to Bloomberg calculations.
Alan Pick who runs The Butcher Shop and Grill restaurant in Sandton, Johannesburg was the biggest single buyer, spending 1.36 million rand, the guild said. - Bloomberg News