Strauss & Co’s results confirm a complete sale at the Cape Winemakers Guild auction, while a separate fundraising auction supported the guild’s training programme.
The Cape Winemakers Guild auction achieved R18 223 000 in Cape Town on 2 and 3 October, with all 591 lots sold, according to the final results published by auctioneer Strauss & Co.
The figure excludes buyer’s premium and VAT. That distinction matters when comparing the auction total with an individual buyer’s final bill or with another sale reported on a different basis.
The auctioneer’s event record places the sale at Brickfield Canvas in Woodstock, with sessions on Friday and Saturday. The results provide a direct transaction record for the headline figure, rather than relying solely on the organiser’s account of the event.
For the wine industry, the sale offers a view of demand for a specialised collection. It does not establish what ordinary retail wine, bulk wine or wine grapes should fetch across the wider market. The wines were made for this auction and the bidding environment differs from everyday trade.
Buyers at home and abroad
The guild reports that 263 bidders registered from 16 countries. South African bidders accounted for 78% of the sales, pointing to a substantial domestic contribution to the result.
Its selection comprised 58 wines: 34 reds, 22 whites and two Cap Classiques. These are wine selections, whereas the auctioneer’s 591-lot count refers to the individual lots offered. The two figures describe different parts of the same sale and should not be treated as competing totals.
According to the guild, 2 220 six-bottle cases were sold, with bottles of 750 ml. It reported an average of R1 368 per bottle excluding VAT. White wines, with Cap Classique included in that grouping, averaged R1 416, compared with R1 340 for reds.
Those averages describe the composition and bidding at this particular event. A higher average for one grouping does not mean every white wine sold for more than every red, nor does it predict a similar gap elsewhere.
The distinction is useful for producers assessing the result. Auction performance can draw attention to particular wines and styles, but a vineyard’s commercial decisions also depend on its market, costs, yields and sales channels. A premium auction is one point of reference rather than a general farmgate price list.
Separate support for new winemakers
Alongside the main sale, the guild reported that its online Protégé Auction raised R655 900 for its development programme. That fundraising amount is separate from the R18.223 million commercial auction total.
The guild’s programme information describes a three-year internship built around practical experience, mentoring and the transfer of skills. It began with winemaking graduates and subsequently included viticulture students, linking training in the cellar with work in the vineyard.
The development trust behind that work was established in 1999. Its funding includes donations and proceeds from charity events involving guild members. The training programme therefore gives the auction season a second role beyond selling collectable wines: it helps support entry into an industry in which workplace experience is important.
Fundraising and training outcomes should nevertheless be kept distinct. An amount raised does not by itself establish how many new internships will be funded, when money will be spent or how many graduates will secure permanent work. No such new commitment is inferred from the auction figure.
The clearest results are the completed sale, the amount realised and the full sell-through recorded by Strauss & Co. The guild’s wider account adds the buyer mix and the bottle averages, while its development programme explains the purpose of the separate fundraiser.
Together, those records show demand for the guild’s selected wines and financial support for its skills programme. They do not establish a wider recovery in producer margins, an increase in vineyard employment or a price forecast for the next harvest.