The 41st Cape Winemakers Guild Auction is set to take place on October 3-4, 2025, showcasing an exceptional selection of 48 unique lots from South Africa’s premier winemakers. The auction has already raised the bar for South African fine wines, with a remarkable number of lots achieving pre-tasting scores of 95 points or higher from esteemed critics.
This year’s auction features 30 red wines, 17 white wines, and for the first time, a fortified wine. Samantha O’Keefe, chair of the Cape Winemakers Guild (CWG), remarked that this lineup embodies the growing confidence among South African producers, signifying a new generation’s maturity and prowess in winemaking.
Founded in 1982, the CWG holds invitation-only membership. Each of the 42 winemaker members selects the wines to be auctioned, emphasizing the exclusivity and limited production of these offerings.
Among the highlights from the pre-auction tasting in London was a groundbreaking 100% Carignan from AA Badenhorst, titled "Out of the Strong Comes Forth Freshness 2024." Additionally, Badenhorst’s Saldanha Pale Dry, a first-ever fortified wine for the auction, will also be available.
Other notable entries include Abrie Beeslaar’s inaugural Pinotage under his own label, Beeslaar CWG Pinotage 2023, and JD Pretorius’s first red wine, Warwick Auction Cabernet Franc-Cabernet Sauvignon 2022. The debutants include Hannes Storm, presenting two wines, and John Seccombe with a Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc blend.
The 2025 auction will be a hybrid event held at the Lord Charles Hotel in Somerset West, South Africa, and online via Strauss & Co, where registered bidders can participate in real-time. Complementing the main auction is the CWG Protégé Auction, which features contributions from upcoming winemakers supported by the Guild’s Protégé Programme since 2006.
O’Keefe emphasized that the auction presents collectors with distinct examples of South African wines, comparable to the best offerings worldwide, while also nurturing the industry’s future and diversity.