A wine auction you don’t want to miss
This heritage auction contains a collection of rare sweet, fortified, spirit and vintage treasures from the Cape and beyond.
“To be the custodian of what is arguably one of the most interesting and storied wine archives in the Southern Hemisphere is a rare privilege. It offers exposure to many extraordinary luminaries, in the bottle and in person. From these great collectibles, collectors, and critics, we learn so much,” said Michael van Deventer, Tabernacle Curator.
Strauss & Co Fine Wine Auctions is proud to offer fine wines from the Tabernacle, an underground wine library in Stellenbosch owned by Distell and now Heineken. “They differ widely in provenance, style, and age and have been assembled in their thousands for a variety of reasons. They provide us with a historical record, helping us to understand better the longevity of some wines. Why do they endure? Is it the grape or combination of grapes involved, the source of their fruit, the method of vinification? There can be so many variables to consider. Opening these venerable vinous treasures can teach us many things,” adds Van Deventer.
The Tabernacle is also a very important resource for the South Africa winemaking fraternity, and cellar continues for future research. The Tabernacle collection includes two original, hand-blown bottles of 18th and 19th Century Constantia sweet white and Port, both re-corked. These bottles were enjoyed by Napoleon Bonaparte, who was a great lover of Constantia wines, as well as famous French poet Baudelaire, who wrote about Constantia wines.
In 2021, Strauss & Co achieved a record price for a South African wine with a bottle of Grand Constance 1821 reaching R967,300 including commission. This bottle, along with the two on auction hails from a collection of historic sweet purchased at Sotheby’s in 1974.
Wines from the Tabernacle span almost the entire 20th century, amongst them selected vintages from Chateau Libertas, Oude Libertas, Zonnebloem and Nederburg during the legendary Günter Brözel era.
“One particularly noteworthy Nederburg wine is the maiden 1973 vintage of Baronne, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. It was Brözel’s ingenious response to a growing thirst for reds, but at a time when so little of our national vineyard was planted to reds. It struck a chord with South Africans that’s never dimmed. Today, 50 years’ later, it remains a top-selling wine, while the debut edition on sale still shows breathtaking elegance and richness,” comments Van Deventer.
Wines from the rich 1974 and more elegant 1973 are on offer from the, both fine vintages. Besides the iconic Nederburg Cabernets, there are delicious and fresh 1973s from Oude Libertas along with legendary bottles of GS 1966 and Chateau Libertas 1937! Made with no more intention than to give pleasure in their day, these gems are sought out today for their lasting freshness, purity and life. Model wines for collectors, they remain a source of inspiration to wine makers.
Our gratitude to Joaquim Sa and his team at Amorim Cork for the expert recorking of these Tabernacle treasures to ensure their continued collectability. Their work is of great value to the South African wine industry.
The Tabernacle is part of the Strauss & Co Cape Heritage online auction featuring rich offering of rare, sweet, fortified, spirit and vintage treasures from the Cape and beyond. Higgo Jacobs, Strauss & Co Wine Specialist, comments: “These categories have strong historical ties with South Africa’s wine industry, and they remain underrated in terms of bandwidth and prices, while consistently over-delivering on quality.”
The world-famous natural sweet wines from Constantia are well represented by a deep selection of vintages of Vin de Constance including the fine 1987, many of which have been recorked. Fortified highlights include very early vintages of Monis and KWV limited edition Ports, which are in remarkable condition today.
A bottle of 1892 Château d’Yquem spearheads the sweet wine offering, along with a collection of more recent, but mature Sauternes including Rieussec, de Fargues and Climens. Fine collectable spirits include a rare historic bottle of Napoleon Grande Fine Champagne Imperiale Cognac, dating from 1811, and a range of fine & rare Scotch Whiskies.
The timed online auction closes on Monday, 14th August from 6pm. For more information visit: www.straussart.co.za
