Bidding process for Cape Fine & Rare Wine Auction
The Cape Fine & Rare Wine Auction, a premier event on the South African wine calendar, holds its annual auction of rare and fine wines once a year.
Guidelines for bidding and buying are set out below:
Cape Fine & Rare Wine Auction Bid Mandate
You may arrange for bidding to be done on your behalf – download the Cape Fine & Rare Wine Auction Bid Mandate form below, complete and return to the Auction office to ensure your participation if you are not able to attend yourself.
Click to download a copy of the bidding Mandate form.
Reserve Price:
This is the minimum price that the auctioneer is willing to accept for the wine item, and appears as a reserve price per case next to each wine item in the catalogue.
In person:
Only persons with a buyer’s paddle are entitled to bid. Bidding paddles have to be obtained prior to the auction, and must be produced at the request of the auctioneer. The onus is on the bidder to ensure that the auctioneer is aware of the bid and that the correct lot number, bidder’s number and price are called out.
Absentee written bids:
These are written instructions from prospective buyers instructing the auctioneer to bid on their behalf up to a specific amount for each lot. Although bidders are advised to record the maximum limit to which they will bid they may well be successful in securing the lot at a lower figure, depending on the interest in the lot. In the event of an identical bid, the earliest received will take precedence. Telephoned Absentee bids must be confirmed before the sale in writing. Please ensure that Absentee bids are submitted at least 24 hours before the sale.
Telephone bids:
Bidders who are unable to attend the auction may arrange to bid on the telephone. A telephone clerk will call you from the Auction Hall and bid on your behalf. To register, please contact the Cape Fine & Rare Wine Auction office. As the number of telephone lines is limited, it is advisable to book a telephone at least 24 hours before the sale. In the event of a breakdown in the telephone communications, it is advisable to leave a maximum bid as a safeguard. Telephone bids may be recorded.
The auctioneer has the right to:
depart from a sequence stated in the catalogue.
offer two or more lots together.
withdraw any lot from the sale, without having to give any reasons for doing so.
Bidding will start with the lowest bid and will advance in accordance with successive higher bids until a bid is accepted by the auctioneer. The auctioneer will knock down a lot or group of lots of products on offer to the person making such a bid, and also reserves the right in his absolute discretion to accept a bid, provided that no bid for any lot below the Reserve price for the products will be accepted. Bids for each lot or group of lots offered must be made on the price for a single case unit in such a lot or group of lots, irrespective of the number of cases on offer. It is important to note that the auction does not facilitate split lots.
BIDDING MANDATE
Members of the Bergkelder Vinotèque Wine Bank have the opportunity to acquire some rare and exclusive wines at the Cape Fine & Rare Wine Auction, by appointing a Vinotèque representative as their nominee to purchase the wines on their behalf.
Two bidding options are available:
Absentee bidding: a Vinotèque representative will bid on the member’s behalf up to the highest price indicated on the bid mandate form. Results are shared post-auction.
Telephone bidding: member bids live in person via telephone to a Vinotèque representative who undertakes paddle bidding.
If you are interested in participating at the auction as a private buyer through the Vinotèque, contact Suné Van Der Merwe on +27 (0) 72 224 2888 or Sune@CapeFineRareWine.auction
