I’m pleased to announce that I’ll be giving the keynote address at this year’s Nederburg Auction in Paarl, South Africa. I was already planning to attend Cape Wine 2012 as a guest of Wines of South Africa, so I was delighted to receive an invitation from the Nederburg Auction organizers to extend my visit by a day or two in order to address their international audience.
About the Nederberg Auction
A premier event on Cape Town’s wine calendar, the Nederburg Auction serves to showcase the spectrum of award-winning wines and rare Cape finds created by the country’s most talented winemakers. Since its beginnings in 1975 with the ‘famous five’ founding participants; Delheim, Groot Constantia, Overgaauw, Simonsig and of course Nederburg, and an offering of just 15 wines, the Auction has evolved into an international event where major local and overseas wine buyers bid for a stringently selected range of the finest wines created by South Africa’s most talented winemakers.This year marks the 38th year of this prestigious event.
Here’s a video about the 2011 Nederburg Auction.
The Press Release
Guests at this year’s prestigious Nederburg Auction won’t want to miss the keynote address by best-selling US author and wine expert Mike Veseth on Saturday 29 September at Nederburg in Paarl.
- With the state of the global economy crisis posing many challenges to the wine world and the South African wine industry in particular, this acclaimed US economics professor and “wine economist” will bring his considerable expertise to the speaker platform, tailoring his keynote address around the subject of how South Africa can win the Wine Wars. This aptly follows the fresh insight presented by last year’s speaker, David White, into the changing wine landscape and the future implications for the industry and consumers.
He will discuss the market trends that are redrawing the world wine map and the terroirists (those focused on a wine’s terroir or place of origin) who resist them. Veseth believes that wine businesses are at a critical crossroads, shaped by the powerful forces of globalisation, corporate branding and the exploration of new markets.
As a professor in international political economy at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, Veseth is regarded as an authority on the political economy of globalisation and the global wine market, applying his sharp and astute mind to analyse and understand the complex dynamics of the international wine world.
Nederburg Auction Business Manager Dalene Steyn says: “While believing in preserving the essence and the soul of wine, Mike is also well-versed on breaking into new markets in China, Australia, France and the US. With this combination of a love for wine along with extensive business and economic acumen, we believe he will inspire and motivate wine lovers in South Africa – just like he has done elsewhere in the world.”
The editor of The Wine Economist blog and author of more than a dozen books has won critical praise for his recent book“Wine Wars: The Curse of the Blue Nun, the Miracle of Two Buck Chuck and the Revenge of the Terroirists (2011)”, which draws remarkable conclusions on the market forces that drive the wine industry. The book has won several awards and prizes, including being selected as Best American Wine History Book 2011 by Gourmand International and a Wine Book of the Year by JancisRobinson.com.
Mike Veseth will address guests of the Nederburg Auction at 09:00 on Saturday 29 September in the Graue Hall, prior to the start of the day’s bidding session. For further information visit http://www.nederburgauction.co.za. The Nederburg Auction is sponsored by Nederburg.
I’m honored to be asked to give this keynote address and pleased to be associated with such a prestigious event.
‘Exclusivity’, ‘prestige’ and ‘ultimate indulgence’ are just some of the expressions that come to mind when a selection of more than 150 of South Africa’s finest wines come together with the sole purpose of going under the hammer at this year’s annual Nederburg Auction at Nederburg in Paarl on September 28 and 29. Incredibly, the majority of SA’s 18 official wine routes will be represented when Anthony Barne MW, the London-based auctioneer from Bonhams, sells off a collection of the country’s most prized liquid assets to local and international wine buyers, including supermarket retailers, liquor licensees, restaurant owners, food and beverage buyers for hotels, guesthouses and game lodges. The original five producers, who have participated on every auction since 1975, are again represented. They are Delheim, Groot Constantia, Overgaauw and Simonsig, and, of course, Nederburg. Debuting alongside these stalwarts and other of the country’s finest producers are newcomers Ataraxia, JP Bredell Wines, Capaia, Deetlefs Familie, De Morgenzon, De Reuck, Fryer’s Cove, Orange River Cellars and Perdeberg Winery.