Strauss & co - 26 - 28 July 2020, Online

10 Strauss & Co Fine Wine Auctions is a ground-breaking venture between leading South African retailer Wine Cellar, sommelier Higgo Jacobs and Strauss & Co. It is no secret that South Africa is undergoing a fine wine renaissance. Interest in vintage South African wines is at an all-time high, especially as the country raises its profile in the local and international wine market. Clearly the time is right to elevate South Africa’s finest wines, both old and new, to the same level of collectability as northern hemisphere wines, as well as professionalise their availability via a transparent auction platform. The aim of the curated wine sale is simple: to present prospective buyers and collectors with a meticulously sourced sale of rare and esteemed South African and international wines. The auction process offers a transparent, structured and sustainable model for affirming the status of our very finest wines. We have made absolutely sure that all the wines featured in the Strauss & Co Fine Wine Auction come from credible provenance, properly stored, in order to pass onto our clients the guarantee that these wines represent the pinnacle of rare, properly matured, fine wines. Higgo Jacobs, Auction Curator andWine Specialist Higgo Jacobs’s experience in the wine industry spans over 20 years. He started by doing harvests in Stellenbosch in 1998 and 1999, before being interrupted by a law degree from the University of Stellenbosch. He has experience on either side of the cellar door, first as winemaker’s assistant, then in marketing and sales. Relocating to the UK in 2007, he cut his teeth on the wines of the world, working with highly respected wine merchants Anthony Byrne Fine Wines and Jeroboams of London, and completing studies with the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) and Court of Master Sommeliers certification. Higgo returned to South Africa in the role of resident sommelier at the five-star Steenberg Hotel in Constantia, after which he began consulting to the industry. He is the driving force behind a variety of projects ranging from annual fine wine events and auctions, to sommelier education and competitions. Higgo is a senior judge at the International Wine Challenge (IWC) and Decanter World Wine Awards. He is a founding member and past chairman of the South African Sommelier Association (SASA), which does training and development for the profession in South Africa, as well as a member of by-laws committee of the ASI (Association de le Sommellerie Internationale), the international regulatory body for the sommelier profession. ‘The application of strict criteria with regard to quality, provenance and rarity will enable collectors to buy outstanding wines with confidence, in a seamless and highly transparent manne r.’– Higgo Jacobs Roland Peens, Wine Specialist and Director of Wine Cellar Studying economics at the University of Stellenbosch meant that Roland was surrounded by wine. He succumbed to its lures and, as soon as he had finished his BComm degree, he found his way into the industry. Roland worked in marketing, retail, exports and as a sommelier before joiningWine Cellar Fine Wine Merchants in 2005. As one of South Africa’s foremost importers and retailers of fine wine, Wine Cellar focuses on the traditional regions of Europe as well as on South Africa’s finest wines. Wine Cellar leads the industry in offering the biggest allocations of South Africa’s most sought-after wines. As a cellaring operation, Wine Cellar manages the holdings of 900 customers and some 450 000 bottles, constituting arguably, the largest collection of fine wine in South Africa. Wine Cellar has also helped develop the secondary market in South Africa by identifying and brokering local and international vintage wines. Since 2018, various wine investment portfolios have been launched, adding 35 000 bottles of South African fine wine to the future secondary market. Local and international study, as well as regular travel, have added to Roland’s extensive insight into the wine world. You will find Roland at most of South Africa’s top wine events, judging, learning and exploring the world of wine, forever expanding his palate. Roland has been a taster for Platter’s Guide, Winemag.com and the Nederburg Auction, and participated in the world wine tasting championships in Bordeaux in 2013. ‘As prices rise, we have naturally hadmore brokerage requests. We see a serious opportunity for an open-market auction. No other auction house has the track record and experience in selling fine and rare assets that Strauss & Co brings to the table.’ – Roland Peens Higgo Jacobs Roland Peens