CWG — The association of South Africa's top winemakers
Autumn Wine Auction
The Cape Winemakers Guild (CWG) is an association of South Africa's top winemakers, founded in 1985. The aim of this association is to promote the production of high-quality wines in the region and to strengthen the international reputation of South African viticulture.
Membership in the Cape Winemakers Guild is limited to winemakers who have a proven track record in winemaking and must be nominated by existing members or the board. The selection of members is based on the recognition of their skills, their contribution to the wine industry, and the quality of their wines. Each member contributes their expertise and knowledge to the community and works together to reach new heights in wine quality.
Overall, the Cape Winemakers Guild is a respected organization that has significantly shaped the South African wine industry and continues to make an important contribution to promoting excellence and innovation in the country's winemaking.
The newest Members and Protégés
Reenen Borman of Boschkloof Wines, Christo le Riche of Le Riche Wines, and Hannes Storm of Storm Wines join the Guild as members, while Tholakele Tania Bekwayo, Karabelo Masoleng, and Lindelwa Panaso Msomi will participate in the Protégé Programme.
The circle of members is deliberately kept small due to the high demands on experience in winemaking and a proven quality ethic. The current 41 members must meet self-imposed quality standards through intensive further training. Regular participation in tasting rounds is intended to continuously expand their judgment.
As part of its "Development Trusts", the Cape Winemakers Guild participates in school projects in the Cape Region and runs its own so-called Protégé Programme, which supports and trains several young cellar masters for three years each year. The previous graduates of the Protégé Programme have been extremely successful, some of them are already producing their own wines or have taken up responsible positions in important wineries.
Cape Winemakers Guild Wine Auction 2023
Once a year, the Cape Winemakers Guild hosts an auction where exclusive and limited wines from its members are presented. Always held on the first Saturday in October, the Cape Winemakers Guild Auction is considered an established platform for South Africa's most exclusive and high-quality wines. The public event regularly attracts wine collectors, wine merchants, journalists, oenologists, and specialists from all over the world, who bid on the usually small wine contingents.
Selection of wines for the auction
CWG wines are considered some of South Africa's best wines and have received numerous awards at international wine competitions. Members are also committed to sustainability and social responsibility in viticulture.
The selection of wines for the Cape Winemakers Guild Auction is a demanding process that ensures only the most outstanding wines are presented at this prestigious event. This helps to strengthen the reputation of South African viticulture and attract the attention of wine enthusiasts and collectors from all over the world. The wines bottled under the CWG label are the best wines of the respective winemaker and vintage.
The selection process consists of several steps:
- Member submission: Active members of the Cape Winemakers Guild usually submit their best two to three wines (bottled from the respective best barrel) for the auction.
- Blind tasting by an expert jury: An expert jury, consisting of renowned wine experts and members of the Cape Winemakers Guild, tastes the submitted wines in a blind tasting.
- Evaluation according to quality criteria: The expert jury evaluates the wines blindly, and only the best wines make it to the auction. It is therefore quite possible that a member can bring two or even three wines to the auction, while none of the wines from other producers are listed.
The 39th auction will take place on October 6 and 7, 2023, in Stellenbosch. Bids will be placed live and virtually on the Strauss & Co website once a year. Participants must create a bidder account on the Strauss & Co website. You can look forward to more than 40 unique wines, produced in small quantities exclusively for the Cape Winemakers Guild Auction.
CWG Pre-Auction Tasting at KapWeine on September 28, 2023
In cooperation with the Cape Winemakers Guild, KapWeine offers an exclusive tasting of the current auction wines from South Africa. At our CWG showcase with approx. 30 wines, you can taste the best wines from the selected producers. Between 180 and a maximum of 360 bottles per wine will be auctioned in South Africa in October. Register now for an exclusive pre-auction walkaround tasting at KapWeine in Wädenswil.
