Vintage whites bring vibrance to Nederburg Auction

Sauvignon Blanc may be the third most popular white in the US but anecdotal evidence amongst local retailers suggests it is the favoured varietal white, appealing to the aficionados as well as those seeking a refreshing but uncomplicated drink.

It was South Africa's love affair with the grape and a desire to accord white wines the respect they deserve that prompted the organisers of the Nederburg Auction to introduce, for the first time last year, a category devoted to current vintage whites.

This year the Auction organisers received double the number of producers submitting their wines for selection in this category and Dave Hughes and his fellow judges were hard-pressed to narrow down the choice to just seven wines. This appears to be an emerging trend as the 2008 Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction also recently reported a record number of white wines entered in its competition.

As was the case at the Nederburg auction last year, all the white entrants were Sauvignon Blanc wines, probably because this is a cultivar capable of showing its charms at an early age.

As Hughes has observed, they all express the exuberance of youth. They are vibrant and zesty and in a word: delicious. While some are more typical of cooler-climate wines with tangy green and herbal qualities, others show more tropical characters. Each one, however, is a complex and satisfying wine with the capacity to age well.

Details of these wines and all the others that will come under the hammer of auctioneer Stephan Welz are available on www.nederburgauction.co.za.