Sweets & Fortified Wine Auction: a rich offering of vintage wines that have stood the test of time

3 Jun 2024

With a meticulous selection of 165 lots, the auction perfectly suited for the winter season.Higgo Jacobs, Wine Specialist at Strauss & Co, says, “These categories have strong historical significance within South Africa’s wine industry, and they remain underrated in terms of bandwidth and prices, while consistently over-delivering on quality.”

Among the highlights of the auction are twenty vintages of the iconic Vin de Constance, renowned as one of the world’s greatest sweet wines. Vin de Constance is a recreation of the legendary Constantia wines made in the 18th and 19th centuries and coveted by luminaries such as Napoleon, King George IV, and King Louis Philippe. Firmly established and highly sought-after, Vin de Constance now trades on the Le Place de Bordeaux and world markets.

The auction features the legendary 1986 and 1987 vintages, of which we have only sold a handful of bottles. According to current cellar master, Matt Day, “the 1986 & 1987 bottles are bullet proof“. All bottles opened for recorking showed amazing life and structure. They were topped up with the same vintage at the cellar, recorked and documented in partnership with Amorim.

The marquee lot, and arguably the rarest South African wine, is the Grand Constance 1821. Originally acquired by the Malan family of Simonsig Estate in 1983 as part of a largercollection, and was sold on Strauss & Co in 2021. It is in incredible condition considering its age and only a handful of labelled bottles of this calibre remain in South Africa today. Noted for its freshness, richness and complexity, this 200-year-old wine offers a fine investment proposition or hedonistic pleasure.

Fortified wine enthusiasts will have a choice of early vintages of Monis and KWV limited edition Ports, Niepoort & Sadie Cape Tawny, JP Bredell, Boplaas, and De Krans wines that just garner more interest and complexity as they age.

The auction also boasts a stellar selection of Sauternes, featuring the likes of Châteaud’Yquem, Doisy-Védrines, Rieussec, and Suduiraut. Additional Finds highlights include Raul Perez Ultreia, Sadie Family Tempus and Ridge Vineyards from California, making their debut on a Strauss & Co wine auction.

The timed-online auction closes on Monday, 10^th June with bidding closing at one-minute intervals from 6pm.

For more information and to register for the auction, visit www.straussart.co.za