R17.5m raised in 2018 Cape Wine Auction

The day’s highest bid of R750,000 went for the Oneiric French Riviera Lot which included five nights in a private villa in Cannes on the French Riviera for eight people and lunch or dinner in the private dining room of South African chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen's JAN, the award-wining Michelin-star restaurant in Nice. Four signed magnum bottles of the sold-out First Quantum Grand Reserve Bordeaux style 2011 blend were included in the package.

Other highly contested lots included a getaway to Azura Benguerra Island in Mozambique and five cases of Chateau Pas de Loup wines from France's Loire Valley, a three-night stay at Morukuru Beach Lodge (opening July 2018) inclusive of a Warwick Estate wine experience, and the American Express lot of a trip to the BFI London Film Festival, concert tickets for Shania Twain at the O2 and the quarterfinals of the 2018 US Open Tennis Championships in New York.

Profound impact on education

The Cape Wine Auction – sponsored by Nedbank Private Wealth – is regarded as one of the most significant international wine charity auctions ever conceived in South Africa, uniting the industry around a single goal of raising money for education.

The auction has raised almost R73m since it was launched, with all proceeds going to 27 carefully selected beneficiaries, all of whom have had a profound impact on education and the lives of children in the Cape winelands.

“The commitment to giving back, changing lives and sharing good fortune was certainly witnessed in the overwhelming bids raised this year. With this money we can expand our programmes and reach even greater heights from the progress we have achieved so far,” says Darielle Robertson, director of The Cape Wine Auction.