CWG — The association of South African top winemakers
Autumn wine auction
The Cape Winemakers Guild (CWG) is an association of top South African 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. Selection of members is based on recognition of their skills, contribution to the wine industry and the quality of their wines. Each member brings 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 had a significant impact on the South African wine industry and continues to play an important role in promoting excellence and innovation in the country’s winemaking.
The latest members and protégés
Reenen Borman of Boschkloof Wines, Christo le Riche of Le Riche Wines and Hannes Storm of Storm Wines will join the guild as members, while Tholakele Tania Bekwayo, Karabelo Masoleng and Lindelwa Panaso Msomi will participate in the Protégé program.
The circle of members is deliberately kept quite small due to the high demands on experience in winemaking and proven quality ethics. The current 41 members must measure themselves against the self-prescribed quality standards through intensive continuing education. Regular participation in tasting rounds is intended to constantly develop their judgment.
The Cape Winemakers Guild participates in school projects in the Cape region as part of its «Development Trusts»and runs its own so-called Protégé Program, which supports and trains several young cellar masters per year for three years. The previous graduates of the Protégé program are extremely successful, some of them already produce their own wines or have taken up responsible positions in important wineries.
Wine Auction Cape Winemakers Guild 2023
Once a year, the Cape Winemakers Guild hosts an auction showcasing exclusive and limited edition wines from its members. Always held on the first Saturday in October, the Cape Winemakers Guild Auction is considered an established stage for South Africa’s most exclusive and premium wines. The public event regularly attracts wine collectors, wine merchants, journalists, oenologists and experts from all over the world who bid on the mostly small wine contingents.
Selection of wines for the auction
CWG wines are considered some of the best wines in South Africa and have won 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 that only the most outstanding wines are presented in this prestigious event. This helps to enhance the reputation of South African winemaking and attract the attention of wine enthusiasts and collectors from around 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: The active members of the Cape Winemakers Guild usually submit their best two to three wines (bottled from the particular best barrel) for the auction.
- Blind tasting by a jury of experts: A jury of experts, consisting of renowned wine experts and members of the Cape Winemakers Guild, will taste 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 may well happen that a member can bring two or even three wines to the auction, while from other producers none of the wines are listed.
The 39th auction will be held in Stellenbosch on October 6th and 7th, 2023. Bids will be placed live and virtually on the Strauss & Co website once a year. Participants must create a bidding account on the Strauss & Co website. They 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 the 28th of September 2023
In collaboration with the Cape Winemakers Guild, KapWeine offers an exclusive tasting of the current auction wines from South Africa. At our CWG showcase with approximately 30 wines you can taste the best wines of the selected producers. Between 180 and a maximum of 360 bottles per wine will be sold at the auction in October in South Africa. Register now for exclusive pre-auction walkaround tasting at KapWeine in Wädenswil.
