Millions paid for rare local wines
Meerlust stars at Cape auction
Few local wine estates boast an amazingly illustrious history straddling eight generations as South Africa’s kingpin wine brand, Meerlust, which is widely renowned as producer of the sensational Meerlust Rubicon.
So popular and revered is the Rubicon blend that everything else pales into the background whenever the wine is featured in any wine festival or private tasting.
Yet, as famous as the Meerlust brand is, not much is known in the townships about its owner, Hannes Myburgh. For Myburgh, an affable and soft-spoken dude who inherited the family’s circa-1756 farm from his forebears, prefers his wines to do the talking rather than basking in their glory. A true professional, he always makes an effort not to miss any tasting or show featuring his brand, making sure he personally serves the wines to tasters.
Typically, Myburgh kept a low profile when his wines – the only three bottles of 1978 Meerlust Bordeaux Blend still available – were snatched for R16 000 a bottle by an Angolan buyer at the Nederburg Auction in the Cape last weekend. Bidding among the international and local wine luminaries for three bottles started at R3 000, going all the way up to R48 000 for the trio, which culminated in loud cheers.
What also capped a sterling day for Meerlust was the purchase of the estate’s three 1.5 litre bottles of the 1980 Cabernet Sauvignon for a staggering R35 000 – about R11 600 a bottle.
The auction saw wine enthusiasts from around the world converging on Nederburg in Paarl, and spending R6-million in nearly five hours on South Africa’s rare and old wines. South Africans bought 70% of the wine on auction with the Taiwanese the biggest foreign buyers.
The event is important as it proves the longevity of South African wines while also positioning the country as a lucrative wine destination. Wine is an attractive investment too, as amply demonstrated by the sale of the oldest vintage on auction, a 1957 Chateau Libertas, for R55 000 for six bottles – at approximately R9 160 a bottle. Come to think of it, a single bottle would have cost no more than R1 in 1957.
Other highlights included the successful bidding for South Africa’s best Chenin Blanc – The FMC – whose 2009 vintage went under the hammer for R11 000 for six 750ml bottles. Still, one can expect to pay anything between R1 500 and R2 000 a bottle for this household wine at any fine-dining establishment.
Dawid Justus bought Van Ryn’s 40-year-old potstill brandy for R60 000 during the charity chapter of the auction as a thank you gift for a work colleague based in London.
“Dr Jonathan Knowles gave me the biggest opportunity of my life when he hired me 13 years ago. I wanted to give him something of true excellence from our beloved continent,” Justus said.