The wines that live in the Tabernacle, the underground wine library in Stellenbosch, occupy a strictly controlled environment for optimal ageing. ‘They differ widely in provenance, style, and age and have been assembled in their thousands for a variety of reasons. They provide us with a historical record, helping us to understand better the longevity of some wines. Why do they endure? Is it the grape or combination of grapes involved, the source of their fruit, the method of vinification? There can be so many variables to consider. Opening these venerable vinous treasures can teach us many things,” adds van Deventer.
The Tabernacle is also a very important resource for the South Africa winemaking fraternity, and they continue to cellar outstanding wines from the 21st century for their future research. The Tabernacle collection includes two original, hand-blown bottles of 1791 Constantia sweet white and Port, both re-corked. The bottles are over 200 years’ old. These bottles were enjoyed by Napoleon Bonaparte, he was a great lover of Constantia wines. These wines share their birth year with the famous French poet Baudelaire, who wrote about Constantia wines.
Roland Peens, Strauss & Co Wine Specialist comments “Strauss & Co has sold a single bottle of Grand Constance 1821 for a record R967,300 including commission in 2021, which also hails from this collection of historic sweet purchased at Sotheby’s in 1974.
We have wines at the Tabernacle that span virtually the entire 20th century. Amongst them are wines selected for auction from Chateau Libertas, Oude Libertas, Zonnebloem, and from Nederburg under the helm of the legendary Günter Brözel (now 89).
“One particularly noteworthy Nederburg wine is the maiden 1973 vintage of Baronne, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. It was Brözel’s ingenious response to a growing thirst for reds, but at a time when so little of our national vineyard was planted to reds. It struck a chord with South Africans that’s never dimmed. Today, 50 years’ later, it remains a top-selling wine, while the debut edition on sale still shows breathtaking elegance and richness,” comments Michael van Deventer, Tabernacle Curator. 
The 1973 was a good vintage. There is still so much vitality evident in the Nederburg varietal Cabernet, the Oude Libertas Cabernet and Oude Libertas Pinotage of that year. As with the 1974 Nederburg Cabernet, these superb wines on offer reflect an era of remarkable wine-making skill and finesse. There are even older, gorgeous time-capsule wines to acquire from Chateau Libertas – a ’63 and a ’37.
Made with no more intention than to give pleasure in their day, these gems are sought out today for their lasting freshness, purity and life. Model wines for collectors, they remain a source of inspiration to wine makers.
Our sincerest gratitude to Joaquim Sa and his team at Amorim Cork, for the expert recorking of these Tabernacle treasures to ensure their continued collectability. Their work is of inestimable value to our industry.
The Tabernacle treasures are part of the Strauss & Co Cape Heritage online auction featuring rich offering of rare sweet, fortified, spirit and vintage treasures from the Cape and beyond, perfectly suited to the winter season. Higgo Jacobs Strauss & Co Wine Specialist comments “These categories have strong historical ties with South Africa’s wine industry, and they remain underrated in terms of bandwidth and prices, while consistently over-delivering on quality.”
The world famous natural sweets from Constantia are well represented by a wide spread of vintages of Vin de Constance from the modern era. Fortified highlights include very early vintages of Monis and KWV limited edition Ports, wines that just garner more interest and complexity as they age.
On the international front, a 1892 Château d’Yquem (750ml bottle) spearheads Sauterne lovers’ unmissable selection of the premier growers from this French sweet wine appellation. Fine collectable spirits include a rare historic bottle of Napoleon Grande Fine Champagne Imperiale Cognac, dating from 1811, and a range of fine & rare Scotch Whiskies.
The timed online auction closes on Monday, 14th August from 6pm.
