Rare collections of the world’s leading wines to be sold, together with a uniquely minted NFT, by Strauss & Co. 

9 Jun 2023

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• Highest Value Wine Auction Ever Staged in Africa
• Unprecedented Range of Wines and Vintages with corresponding unique NFTs
• Online Sale at Strauss & Co Open 3 to 10 July
• Highly Rare Opportunity to Buy Superb Wines at Scale
• Donation to SASA from Proceeds to Further AfricanSommelier Development

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 CAPE TOWN: Strauss & Co Fine Wine Auctions unveils six significant collections of the world’s greatest wines, that have also been minted as NFTs, including Penfolds Grange, Domaine de La Romanée Conti, Château Mouton Rothchild, Château d’Yquem, Screaming Eagle and Harlan Estate that will be sold online in July 2023 (Registration and Bidding now open – visit www.straussart.co.za). A highly rare offering to global wine collectors takes place after the inaugural successful sale of Iconic South African Wine NFTs in 2022. 

 “Considering the size and depth of these impressive, unique collections, and the critical need for authenticity, we saw the advantage of minting each wine as an NFT”, said Roland Peens, Strauss & Co Wine Fine Wine Senior Specialist. “We authenticated and photographed each bottle with the information now stored on the blockchain. This is a chance to buy a super rare collection or invest in an alternative asset. Fine wine has proven to be an uncorrelated long-term asset with low volatility and the NFTs adds further security.” 

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Superb Provenance and Meticulous Authentication

The Coats Family Cellar is arguably the most prestigious fine wine collection ever offered in South Africa. It contains an expansive range of the world’s finest and most sought-after wines spanning over 150 years. Collected over many decades by the Coats family, as part of an extensive cellar, the wines were imported from Ireland into South Africa via refrigerated container and have been cellared professionally since. Each bottle is in top condition. ‘Mr Coats had a clear passion for Penfolds Grange and Mouton- Rothschild, but there are few great wines from the 20th century that weren’t in the cellar. The d’Yquem lot is also expansive and very special!’ continues Roland. Leading International fine wine expert, Michael Egan, has scrutinised and authenticated every bottle, and over 100 bottles have been tasted. 

NFTs and Wine

Non-fungible tokens are a highly efficient way to package a collection of wines for long term aging or trading. The digital contract is stored on the Polygon blockchain and the NFT includes the critical information of the transaction regarding provenance, barcode, pictures, pricing, along with sensorial and aging information. Each bottle within the SIX NFTs is also minted as an NFT, allowing for drinking or trading of single bottles at any time. 

Transactions on the Polygon blockchain are cheap, fast and consume marginal energy. 

All wines are currently stored in the professional cellars of Wine Cellar, in Cape Town, Africa’s largest fine wine cellar. Professional world-wide shipping can also be arranged, at negligible costs considering the high value of the wines. Payment can be made in ZAR, USD, GBP as well as BTC, ETH and stable coins. 

Fine Wine in Africa and Donation to Wine and Food Non-Profit Organization

The Coats family donated R4m ($200,000) of their cellar to charity and wine education in Southern Africa. “Crucial international benchmarks are increasingly priced out of arm’s reach for aspiring young African professionals’ education”, says Higgo Jacobs, co-founder of SASA – South African Sommelier Association – and Strauss & Co Senior Fine Wine Specialist. 

A portion of the NFT sale will go to SASA, the South African Sommelier Association, a registered NPO that promotes a culture of food and beverage service excellence in South Africa through education. ‘A lot of ground has been made to create opportunities over recent years, however, much remains to be done. This partnership will provide a further shot in the arm to level the playing field and create access for African sommeliers”, continues Higgo. 

Zimbabwean wine celebrity, sommelier and Kumusha producer, Tinashe Nyamudoka, says “drinking and experiencing these wines is the only way to feel a sense of place. I’m excited because the African wine palate is maturing, and we see more and more fine wine being consumed and more sommeliers. However, access and education are still limited. ‘ Tinashe recently starred in Blind Ambition as part of team Zimbabwe competing in the world wine-tasting championships. 

The Wine for Sale in July 

The Penfolds Grange lot is a grandeur selection of the first 58 years of Penfolds, including the maiden 1951 vintage. The New-World’s most famous wine was produced by visionary Max Schubert, and the collection includes a signed 375ml bottle of the 1952. The 232 bottles, including 42 Magnums, is close to a complete vertical.

Château Mouton-Rothschild famously added artwork to their labels with the legendary 1945, the first vintage in the NFT. To commemorate the allied victory, Baron Philippe de Rothschild commissioned unknown artist Phillippe Julian. The 1945 turned out to be a legendary wine and the artist labels became a huge drawcard for collectors. This impressive 176 bottle collection holds a bevy of large format bottles, including 33 double-magnums and a strong showing of the great vintages of 1982, 1986 and 2000.

The world’s greatest sweet wine, Château d’Yquem is showcased over 119 years and this sale includes four bottles from the 19th century. d’Yquem is famous for its extremely long ageing and it turns progressively darker with age, gaining complexity. Great vintages such 2001, 1976, 1967, 1947, 1945, 1928 and 1899 are included.

The world’s most hallowed producer, Domaine de La Romanée Conti, is minted into an NFT with 80 bottles from 1999-2015. This prolific period for Burgundy is highlighted by a mix of red wines from their various vineyards including 17 bottles of La Tâche, and 2 bottles each of the 2009 and 2010 La Romanée Conti. 

Two American cult wine collections are offered as NFTs in Screaming Eagle and Harlan Estate. Both Cabernet Sauvignons are produced in small quantities with long waiting lists to receive an allocation. Screaming Eagle is America’s most expensive and exclusive wine that matches prices of Château Petrus. The Harlan Estate NFT features a bottle and magnum of their first commercial 1990 vintage along with 100 pointer vintages in 1997, 2002, 2007. 

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The Sensational Six Lots for Sale in July 

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Strauss & Co Penfolds Grange 1951-2008 NFT

Lot contains 232 bottles; 1 x 375ml, 189 x 750ml, 42 x 1500ml 
Including signed 1952 by Max Schubert

Low                     R6m (in the region of $300,000)

High                    R8m (in the region of $400,000)

Strauss & Co Domaine de La Romanée Conti 1999-2015 NFT

Lot contains 80 x 750ml bottles.

4 x Romanée-Conti, 17 x La Tâche, 4 x Richebourg, 18 x Romanée-Saint-Vivant, 20 x Grands-Echézeaux, 14 x Echézeaux and 3 x Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

Low                     R8m (in the region of $400,000)

High                    R10m (in the region of $500,000)

Strauss & Co Château Mouton-Rothschild 1945-2014 NFT

Lot contains 176 bottles; 68 x 750ml, 73 x 1500ml, 33 x 3000ml and 2 x 5000ml.

Low                     R7m (in the region of $350,000)

High                    R9m (in the region of $450,000)

Strauss & Co Château d’Yquem 1892-2010 NFT 

Lot contains 184 bottles; 36 x 375ml, 146 x 750ml and 2 x 1500ml.

Low                     R4m, (in the region of $200,000)

High                    R5.5m, (in the region of $275,000)

Strauss & Co Screaming Eagle 1995-2010 NFT 

Lot contains 19 bottles; 17 x 750ml and 1 x 1500ml Cabernet Sauvignon, 1 x 750ml Sauvignon Blanc.

Low                     R1.6m (in the region of $80,000)

High                    R2m (in the region of $100,000)

Strauss & Co Harlan Estate 1990-2012 NFT

Lot contains 40 bottles; 2 x 1500ml and 38 x 750ml

Low                     R1.3m (in the region of $65,000)

High                    R1.5m (in the region of $75,000)

* Low and High estimates are open to change considering the print lead-time and currency volatility. See the Strauss Website for a full list. 

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