The Cape Fine & Rare Wine Auction took place at the Rupert Museum in Stellenbosch recently.
A rare bottle of Grand Constance 1821 reached a record-breaking R420 000.
At the end of the auction the unaudited total results stood at R2 219 200.
A rare bottle of Grand Constance 1821 reached a record-breaking R420 000 at the recent Cape Fine & Rare Wine Auction.
The price was unaudited and excluding VAT.
The bottle is one of roughly twelve known to still exist globally, from an allocation originally destined for the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. It was acquired by a UK-based client of auction house Christie s.
The auction was held in association with Christie s and live-streamed from the Rupert Museum in Stellenbosch.
This weekend, a devoted wine enthusiast splurged almost half-a-million rand on 375ml of Grand Constance – one of the rarest bottles known to man. The 200-year-old treasure – initially sourced in Constantia, Cape Town – will now take pride of place in someone’s cellar. But what exactly makes it worthy of the R420 000 price tag acquired in Stellenbosch?
The Grand Constance made (even more) history on Saturday, after it was sold to the highest bidder – Photo: Mike Ratcliffe
The method behind the madness: Here’s why one punter just paid R420 000 for a bottle of wine…
Nederburg MD and CFRWA director Niël Groenewald set the scene nicely for us beforehand. Ahead of the rare wine auction, he explained that the bottle presented a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity‘ for the die-hard vino enthusiasts.
We take so much for granted these days – rotisserie chickens in the supermarket, avos and strawberries all year round (even if it goes against nature but we pay for the privilege anyway), not running out of toilet paper, road signs directing us to wine farms…
None of this was always the case; when Stellenbosch Wine Routes was established in 1971, those familiar brown and white signs with the farms’ names pointing us to the entrances – and upon which we partly rely, along with GPS apps (and given my recent feuds with Google Maps, the physical signs are essential), to find our destination – were prohibited. Apparently, the municipality thought they would distract drivers and affect their ability to keep control of their vehicles. Which is laughable now, considering cellphones. And the proportionate number of idiots on the road 50 years later.
Carrie’s Corner: Stellenbosch Wine Route chairperson on 50th anniversary
Carrie Adams chats to Mike Ratcliffe, a co-founder and Managing partner of Vilafonte Wines. However, in this podcast, our wine expert chats to him in his capacity as chairperson of the Stellenbosch Wine Route – which turns 50 this year. – Jarryd Neves
Mike Ratcliffe on being the chairperson of the Stellenbosch Wine Route:
I don’t remember exactly when I became chairperson, but it must be something like three years ago. We’ve achieved a lot in three years, Covid notwithstanding. But ultimately, I’m merely a pinprick on the 50-year history of Stellenbosch. On behalf of myself and our board, we’re fully cognisant that we’re standing on the shoulders of giants.