South Africa’s foremost auction house, Strauss & Co, has entered a joint venture with leading online wine merchant, Wine Cellar, and top sommelier, Higgo Jacobs, to launch a Fine Wine Auction programme.
The collaboration seeks to provide a transparent auction platform that introduces prospective buyers to a selection of South Africa’s finest wines curated by wine expert and judge Higgo Jacobs, previously Chairperson of the South African Sommelier Association.
International praise of South African wine reached a peak last year with the first modern-day perfect score by Tim Atkin Master of Wine for the Paul Sauer 2015. In 2017, Eben Sadie was voted Winemaker of the Year by the Institute of Masters of Wine, a London-based professional body with an unsurpassed international reputation.
Higgo Jacobs, previous Chairperson of the South African Sommelier Association shared that Strauss & Co entering the fine wine market is a strong vote of confidence in the maturity and potential of the South African wine industry and adds an exciting new dimension to it.
Extreme rarities such as Lanzerac 1957 and GS 1966 will be offered from assured provenances. Vintage lots will be checked, recorked and barcoded for future trade. More recent icons such as Kanonkop, Klein Constantia, Boekenhoutskloof and Vilafonte will also be offered, along with modern greats by the Sadie family. Lots will be sourced directly from leading producers as well as approved private cellars.
The first Fine Wine Auction will be held at Strauss & Co in Johannesburg on Saturday 8 June, followed by the Cape Town auction which takes place in September 2019. More information will be released closer to the time of the auction on Straussart.co.za and WineCellar.co.za.
