A rare case of unique, handcrafted wine created by Pinotage aficionado François Naudé, is among the charity items to be auctioned in aid of the Cape Winemakers Guild Protégé Programme in Johannesburg this month as a run up to the Guild’s annual auction in October.

Striving to craft the best Pinotage in any given vintage, Naudé’s Le Vin de François, is a blend of the best barrels from some of South Africa’s finest producers. The wine is sold annually at his private auction and this year’s 2013 vintage is a blend of wines from Delheim, Kanonkop, Lanzerac, L’Avenir, Rhebokskloof, Simonsig and Wildekrans. Over and above the case of 12 Le Vin de François 2013, the Guild’s Protégé Programme has already received a donation of R10 000, the proceeds of the charity items sold at Naudé’s private, black tie auction in Stellenbosch earlier this year.

“When we started our first private auction in 2008, we decided to donate a case of wine and the proceeds of the charity items sold to a particular charity every year. Having selected the Faith Foundation, the Pebbles Project and MAD – Make a Difference Foundation previously, given my involvement with the Cape Winemakers Guild, the Protégé Programme would be an obvious choice for the next few years,” said Naudé, an honorary member of the Guild and trustee of the Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Development Trust. He was an active Guild member from 1996 until his retirement as winemaker in 2005.

Since its inception in 2006, the Protégé Programme, a mentorship scheme under the patronage of the Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Development Trust with the goal of effecting transformation in the wine industry, has recruited 17 oenology and viticulture interns, with no less than nine graduates currently working in the wine industry.

The 31st Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction of singular wines crafted in small volumes exclusively for the auction by members of the Guild, takes place on Saturday, 3 October 2015 at the Spier Conference Centre in Stellenbosch.

Wine lovers in Johannesburg have the rare opportunity to taste this year’s auction line-up at the Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction Showcase at the Nedbank Atrium in Sandton on Wednesday, 26 August 2015 from 18h00.

Tickets are available from www.webtickets.co.za at R190 per person.

For further information, visit: www.capewinemakersguild.com, email [email protected] or call Tel: +27 +21 852 0408.

[Author: [email protected] (Pierre Marqua)] [Category: Wine News]