Single largest buyer at 2023 Cape Winemakers Guild auction reports 75% of stock sold on arrival in UK

Speaking to Victoria Mason of the Bordeaux Index last week, I came away exhilarated by her passion and excitement for South African wine. 

Previously the buyer of South African and Italian wine for high-end British supermarket chain Waitrose for seven years, Mason had been building on her excitement for a while now. Appointed at Bordeaux Index in January, 2023, she saw the Cape Winemakers Guild Auction as the perfect opportunity to cater to her newly acquired fine wine audience, as opposed to the goals of a supermarket (albeit high-end) wine buyer.

The Guild, with its 42-year track record (established in 1982), the scarcity and quality of the wines (some of the 39 CWG wines from last year's Auction only had a barrel to its name), their continued efforts to expand the knowledge of their member base (41 members this year) hosting local and international technical tastings, and actively working to promote inclusivity in the industry through their Protege Programme, proved the perfect fit for this largely French-focused consumer base.