Millions raised at wine auction to benefit many

MORE THAN 20 beneficiaries are set to benefit from funds raised at the Cape Wine Auction this year, totalling R22.3 million.

The two-day wine-tasting and auction event held in Franschhoek over the weekend, sponsored by Nedbank Private Wealth, saw a record amount raised at the auction. The event had in the past raised R31m over three years.

Spark School Lynedoch is an example of this collaborative model where the Cape Wine Auction Trust not only invests in what happens in the classroom, but also alleviates some of the barriers to education. In one year they have created an outstanding success story, with literacy improving by 55% and maths by 30% across all grades.

The Lynedoch Primary School, on the outskirts of Stellenbosch, was set to close at the end of 2015, but the Cape Wine Auction, together with Spark Schools and the University of Stellenbosch’s Sustainability Institute stepped in to ensure the children of the surrounding wine farms would have access to world-class education, care facilities, social services and nutrition.

At the auction, bids of travel, luxury accommodation and limited edition wines went under the hammer with a bespoke experience in Napa Valley, California, reaching a height of R3m, the highest ever paid lot in the history of the auction’s existence since 2014. The Lionel and Anton Smit collaborative sculpture, created especially for the auction and standing at 3 metres, fetched R1.2m and included a wine and dining experience at Idiom Fine Dining Restaurant and Wine Estate.

Guests from across South Africa and the US, Germany and Sweden were treated to cuisine prepared by some of South Africa’s leading chefs, limited edition wines and performances by Zolani Mahola, Watershed’s Craig Hinds and George Town.

Darielle Robertson, director at Cape Wine Auction, said they were overwhelmed by the generosity of the bidders.

“We set out aiming to raise R15m this year, but the final amount has literally left everyone speechless… With this money we can expand our programmes and reach even greater heights with the progress we have achieved so far.”