The Nederburg Auction ratcheted up pressure on competitor the Cape Winemakers’ Guild [CWG] Auction next month thanks to a stellar performance which saw prices soar and unsold lots dwindle. A remarkable financial tour de force from an institution celebrating its 36th birthday that some commentators had written off as past its sell by date.

The main reason for success was annunciated by auctioneer Anthony Barne, from Bonhams in London, who noted “I tasted most of the wines and I was especially impressed by the quality of Nederburg wines on offer.” As they comprise the lion’s share of the 161 different brands offered to retailers and restaurateurs, it’s a case of simple arithmetic to explain the sparkling result. In singling out Nederburg wines for praise, this was no reflection on the other wines on offer, some of which Anthony found “excellent.”

Average red wine prices were up 28%, whites up 19%, Méthode Cap Classique up a massive 315%, stickies up 31%, fortifieds up a staggering 205% and Ports up 90%. A broad-based improvement, indeed.

By way of contrast, a senior CWG member admitted “we’re worried about a perception that wines on auction this year are not as good as in the past.” He was referring to a blind tasting hosted by WINE magazine last month, with several tasters bemoaning excessive wood character in some of the reds. Shiraz in particular came in for some stick.

CWG auction reds are in general far younger than Nederburg offerings (which are market ready) whereas CWG reds are mostly destined for connoisseur cellars, so of course some are showing wood character at this early stage in their development. Naïve tasters are floating a red herring in the CWG spittoon which sophisticated consumers can safely ignore.

What cannot be ignored is the blast of confidence and fresh air that Nederburg has brought to the national cellar. Timid restaurateurs have missed the boat when the auction’s biggest buyers were Spar, Makro and Checkers, as many of these auction wines will be drunk in restaurants as BYO.

The hidden story was the triumph of New Media (bloggers, tweeters and facebookers) who transmitted more electrons out of Paarl than a Large Hadron Collider. As one Distell director commented “send our best wishes to your friends Up North and tell them we had a great party without them!” referring to financial and lifestyle publications who reduced coverage of the event.

New Media provides an exciting direct channel for producers too long prisoners to manipulation, interpretation and editing by pompous pundits with press accreditation and hidden agendas. If Nederburg’s communications czar installs a couple of webcams next year, turns up the volume on the WiFi and sorts out internet bidding, the Auction can become a truly global event and an unbeatable showcase for SA wine.

Auctioneer Anthony thought a pre-auction tasting in London next year “a good idea” and the virtual embrace of the internet opens up Singapore and San Francisco to bids. That 30% of auctioned wines will be heading to Tesco’s Wine Club, Lagos and New Delhi (“you don’t know how important India is to us” whispered Nederburg Nawab Razvan Macici) confirms that the world has suddenly become Nederburg’s oyster: a plump and succulent aphrodisiac in the buffet of SA wine.

An edited version of this story appeared in the Sunday Times on Sunday.