The most important in short

• The right moment to invest in South African wines

• With guaranteed returns in the coming years

• 54 high quality investment red wines

• Limited to 60 portfolios

• With top vintages/ratings and mature wines

• Extraordinary maturation potential

LIQUID RETURN – WHY WINE INVESTMENTS ARE PROFITABLE!

About 40 years ago, you could buy a bottle of Bordeaux Premier Grand Cru for about CHF 50. It was then cellared for almost 20 years until the wine reached
drinking maturity. Today, these same wines cannot be found for less than several hundred Swiss francs, which is an extraordinary increase in value.

A system has developed to sell the matured wines at a profit and thus finance one‘s wine consumption.

Wine prices compared to gold and the MSCI World equity index from 2004 to 2020.

Source: Wine trading platform LIV-EX, Bloomberg

THE GOLDEN AGE IS COMING

We have gained a lot of experience in terms of the potential of maturity by keeping our finger on the pulse of the South African wine industry, together with the producers over the decades.

From its small beginnings 26 years ago until today, our «matured rarity stock» has grown slowly but steadily. In the last five years, there has been a rapid growth of wines, which we put back in appealing quantities. In the meantime,
our «Tasting warehouse», as we affectionately call it, has grown to over 17,000 bottles. So we selected 54 wines for the first edition of the CAPE FINE WINE INDEX by KapWeine. Chosen according to quality, development potential, ratings and future appreciation in terms of rarity, brand power, availability and price development.

In order to pass on this experience to you, so that you can make the right choice for your investment, there will be a tasting of the 54 wines – price CHF 100.- per person (with snacks). The tasting will take place on Saturday, 29. October 2022 by appointment. So that you can taste the ageing potential of South African wines, we recommend that you try a matured Tasting set from Warwick Trilogy or Constantia Glen THREE or FIVE. Wines from Grangehurst/Vergelegen / Morgenster also offer good examples of current vintages, which are already matured on the market. If you like it even more precise, you will find what you are looking for in our Matured Wines, and Rarities range in the online shop.

AMAZING PRICEPLEASURE RATIO

The 2015 and 2017 vintages are among the best for red wines of all time in South Africa, and this at a price / enjoyment ratio that one can often only dream of in Europe. The 2018 / 19 vintages do not need to hide either. And the 2020s could once again surpass everything.

In the case of the white wines, three vintages in a row stand out: 2019 / 2020 / 2021. But with the whites, the 2017s & 2018s are also considered very good. The South African secondary market for fine wines is gaining momentum. The combination of sales figures from the South African intermediary platform of Wine Cellar and the Strauss & Co Fine Wine Auctions results show a sales growth of 87% in the secondary market.

Ideally, South African wines have so far been spared speculation and can be purchased at predominantly «normal» prices, from CHF 40 to CHF 100. That is why now is exactly the right time to enter the top wine market in South Africa. The
fact that South Africa can keep up with the qualities of this wine world – but is still lagging behind in terms of price for various reasons, has prompted us to offer you the opportunity to benefit from the current situation with top vintages, highly rated wines, the still «favourable» prices in connection with the excellent maturation potential.

Anthony Mueller, Wine critic,  Robert Parker:
«More times than not, I’m struck with how affordable and cellar-worthy these wines are, and when I ask the producer if they intend to raise their prices from $15 to $20, I get an almost cringeworthy reaction. There is almost a fear that
the simple $5 jump in price will have a catastrophic effect on the brand. It’s strange, because I know dozens of consumers who specifically will not buy a $15 bottle of wine because of the price association some have with quality. They assume that because it’s a $15 bottle of wine, it will taste cheap and as if it were massproduced in an industrial warehouse. And both collectors and the everyday sipper can enjoy South African wines, as the country does both categories well.»

Cape Fine Wine Index – PORTFOLIO WITH 54 RED WINE BOTTLES

Legend wine ratings:

VI = VINUM CH / TA = Tim Atkin UK / NM = Neal Martin – Vinous USA / RP = Ropert Parker USA / WS = Wine Spectator USA / GS = Greg Sherwood MW UK / JR = Jancis Robinson UK / PL = Platter’s SA / SWZ = Schweizer Weinzeitung CH / DC = Decanter UK / WM = WINEMAG SA / BL = Blick CH / IWSC = International Wine & Spirit Competition UK / JS = James Suckling USA

OUTSTANDING QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

From the depths of mass production to the Olympus of the wine world. Thanks to an almost unbelievable dynamism, driven by the wild young rebels (Young Guns), who were committed to top quality and broke new ground, South African wines continue to develop rapidly.

The knowledge of how to care for old vines leads to activities like the initiatives such as the Old Vine Project. The paths of natural production from the vineyard to the cellar are optimised with old cellar techniques, amphorae, concrete eggs and tanks, large foudres and the moving away from the use of new small oak barrels.

What was first practised by the young rebels is being adopted by more and more established wine producers! But wine quality has also improved everywhere else. The vineyards planted after the opening in 1992 are coming into their prime, and many of the generational wineries in the Cape have focused their activities on quality. The many new small wine producers in the last 25 years have set an example. The winemakers have taken a few years to convert the existing world-class terroir. To be precise, almost 20 years since the opening of the export markets in 1992. The developments are still ongoing. Renowned wine journalists
have recognised the treasures hidden in South Africa and that these are increasingly being brought to light or, better, into the bottle. The quotes from wine experts speak a clear language.

EXTRAORDINARY MATURITY POTENTIAL

The terroir determines the exceptional storage and maturity potential. Grown on the oldest soils in the world, South African wines consistently show excellent potential.

Almost all South African wines can be stored well for a long time, with most white wines being enjoyable after 3 to 10 years, and often, the best time is after 3 to 8 years unless you like it young, lively, fresh and crisp, depending on the grape variety. With the reds, we usually see an ideal drinking window after 8 to 15 years, whereby the optimal drinking pleasure begins with three, but preferably five to ten years after bottling. Those who prefer rough and tough start a little earlier, and those who prefer velvety and tertiary flavours wait a little longer. And of course, it depends on the grape variety. For example, I would add another three years with Cabernet Sauvignon wines. I have already drunk several top wines based on 20 years plus Cabernet Sauvignon. Many had the potential for another 10 to 20 years in the bottle. All this shows the character and qualities of our wines. This is not limited to top wines but applies to many good wines in the CHF 20 to CHF 30 price range. We at KapWeine too, are always surprised at how the small wines improve when they are open for one to three days, but of course, they go into the fridge closed with the cork or screw cap to sleep. The white wines improve within the first two days and quickly move from 80% potential to 100%. The wines with oak barrel ageing need one to two days longer to show their full potential. For the red wines, it takes two but usually three to five days for the wines to come together.

What is the reason for this? It is due to the terroir. In other words, the climatic conditions in conjunction with the soil. Because South Africa is spoilt here, of course, the socalled winemaker – we prefer to call him or herself a wine midwife – who is also involved. Because good winemakers let the wine be made and only accompany it. Because the wine is «made» in the vineyard. Of course, winemakers must know, feel and implement exactly what the vineyard, the grape and the wine need at the right time. The use of oak barrels is only cosmetic, but this also needs to be well assessed and timed! Here too, we optimise and let the wine do the talking! It does this best with the accompaniment / integration of amphorae, concrete eggs, concrete tanks and large used foudres / barrels to bring out the best in the wine without dominating it.

LONG-TERM STORAGE

At KapWeine, we have continuously expanded our range of mature wines over the years and have struck a note with our customers. More and more matured vintages from various producers are being purchased because our customers have recognised the added pleasure they offer. This has prompted many wine fans to store wines for the long term and to enjoy the ultimate pleasure of 95% to 100% of the wine‘s potential. Most South African wines are also drunk young at 70% to 80%. This is, of course, also possible and one will not be punished – but patience is rewarded. That is why we think that now is the right time to enter the top wine market in South Africa!

«Don‘t deny yourself: South Africa is firing on all cylinders. You just need to be selective and know where to look. Even as a fairly seasoned taster, at some point I sat back and marveled at the astonishing quality. The whites in particular are achieving such high levels of excellence that I imagined them as runners sprinting ahead, looking back at the reds and exhorting them to catch up.

As someone privileged with more than his fair share of rare and expensive Grand Cru Burgundy and First Growths, I can unhesitatingly state that the best of South Africa punches at the same weight. This report burgeons with wines born in climactic knife-edge, dry-farmed vineyards, often from ancient vines, and with minimal intervention by talented and frequently young winemakers in the opening chapters of long careers. Those winemakers are creating a scene that is exciting and dynamic, benefiting the industry
as a whole as it erodes the stigma and prejudice that too many people hold against this country’s wines. Thankfully, a cluster of top producers are steadily building track records and gaining loyal audiences, ensuring that their limited cuvées are selling out quicker and quicker each year. Trust me when I say that in a decade’s time, you might well rue not grabbing some of these exceptional wines.» NEAL MARTIN, Vinous Report November 2019.

As the probably best-known and most influential wine critic Neal Martin (formerly Robert Parker) of vinous writes: Don’t deny yourself – which means: Don’t miss it!