The first wine under the Elsenburg label was made in collaboration with Groot Constantia in 1904, making Elsenburg the first and oldest institution for training individuals in the field of wine making. Elsenburg Agricultural College is situated near Stellenbosch. In 1894 the first graduates graduated in the discipline of Viticulture and Oenology. Currently 80% of South African winemakers have rece
ived their training from Elsenburg. The likes of Marc Kent from Boekenhoutskloof, Kevin Arnold from Waterford Estate and Eben Sadie from Sadie Family vineyards just to name a few, all graduated from Elsenburg Agricultural College. Elsenburg plays an important role in the transformation of the South African wine Industry, offering bursaries to previously disadvantaged students. Over the past 5 years at least 20% of graduates have come from a previously disadvantaged background. Success stories can be found everywhere, like Howard Booysen, who after merely 5 years in the industry, had already launched a successful wine brand under his own name. Previously, an annual Elsenburg Auction was organised to raise funds for the final year Cellar Technology students to travel to Europe to experience different wine making techniques and gain invaluable insights into the global markets of their industry. This auction had always been one of the highlights on the wine industry's calendar and highly anticipated. Unfortunately, several years have lapsed without a single Elsenburg Cellar Auction, BUT the class of 2012 is bringing it back, and it promises to be a wine auction of note! Under the guidance of Marc Kent, and the full support of The Butcher Shop & Grill’s Alan Pick, the final year students are organising a lunchtime event on the 17th of August 2012, where exclusive, rare and premium wines will be on auction. Neil Pendock, South Africa's leading Indie drinks commentator, will be our auctioneer on the day. Neil has been called "South Africa's most influential wine writer" by DrinksBiz, a "wijngoeroe" by De Telegraaf, a "Master of SA Writing" by Ernst Gouws and voted “most trusted palate” by readers of WINE magazine.
