Buy Buy Rarities! – Wine Treasures

Andy Zimmermann opens his wine treasure trove

If there is a wine Makhulu* who sets aside the best of South Africa in his personal wine cellar, then it is definitely Andy Zimmermann from KapWeine!!

We conducted an interview with Andy Zimmermann, the owner and founder of KapWeine. At the beginning of the year, it was announced that he was ready to offer a part of his personal wine cellar with rarities and treasures for sale. Today, the time has finally come, and we are excited to see which impressive wines can be acquired! Find out more in the following interview.

Andy, welcome to our conversation. Please tell us more about your impressive wine collection.

Andy: “Hello and of course, I’d be happy to. From the very beginning, I started setting aside top vintages of South African wines in my personal wine cellar. Today, my collection has grown to dimensions that can amaze any wine lover. I have collected more than 20,000 bottles, including vintages from 1992 to the current ones, and these are all exclusively South African wines! A – I dare say – quite unique collection.”

That sounds truly impressive! What inspired you to focus on South African wines?

Andy: “This passion for wines began when I immigrated to South Africa in the 90s. From the very first moment, or rather from the first sip, I was fascinated by the diversity and high quality of South African wines, which prompted me to get into the wine business and start KapWeine. The wines have especially evolved enormously in the last 10 years, offering an incredible taste experience and an impressive quality that can stand up to the best in the world. Additionally, I wanted to contribute to the promotion of the South African wine industry by marketing their wines in Switzerland and showing a broad audience what is being produced down in the Cape or what potential exists. It was natural for me to also continuously add these wines to my personal cellar.”

Which special vintages or wines do you have in your collection that stand out?

Andy: “It’s difficult to single out just a few, as each bottle in my collection has special value. But I have some very remarkable vintages such as the Columella 2000, the first vintage by Eben Sadie, 2006 Boekenhoutskloof Semillon, or the Syrah 2009 and Warwick Trilogy 2008. From the same vintage, I also have a few cases of Constantia Glen FIVE, which are among the highlights of my collection.”

Andy, thank you very much for giving us insight into your impressive wine collection. One question remains: Why are you willing to make a part of your collection accessible to the public?

Andy: “Wine is about enjoyment. That’s why I’ve decided to make a part of my collection accessible to the public because I believe that good wines should be shared. Additionally, it’s time to recognize the potential of partially aged wines. Therefore, I want to give other wine lovers the opportunity to discover and enjoy the beauty and quality of South African wines. Furthermore, it’s a way for me to share my passion for wine with others and further support the South African wine industry.”

That’s really generous of you, Andy. Thank you for wanting to share your collection with others. There will certainly be many South African wine fans who will be thrilled about it.

Andy: “It’s my pleasure, and I hope our customers recognize that it will always be worthwhile to store current vintages for the long term.”

* “Makhulu” is a term from the South African Zulu language and means “grandfather” or “elder”. In this context, it is used to describe someone who is seen as a kind of authority or expert in their field.