Since 2002 we have been able to bottle only three vintages of Crucible Shiraz – the maiden 2003, followed by 2004 and 2006 – a grand total of only 1200 cases. If Lady Luck smiles upon us next year we could have a 2008 vintage (release would be late in 2009). The 2006 vintage (only 400 cases) will be released in October 2007.

If we’d managed a conservative 4 tons per hectare production from the Crucible vineyard we could have produced 9000 cases. Talk about a supply crunch – 1200 actual vs 9000 theoretical!

Both the 2003 and 2004 vintages of Crucible were nominated for five stars in the John Platter guide, topping a very long list of local and international awards, medals and accolades.

The combination of demand (stimulated by this kind of critical acclaim) and extremely limited supply, against a backdrop of rising fine wine prices (the Live-ex 100 index, which tracks the auction prices of the world’s 100 most investable wines, is up by 42% this year as global affluence chases a limited supply of top-end wines) is having an inevitable impact on Crucible’s selling price.

Last week we began distributing Crucible Futures to buyers of the 2006 The Very Sexy Shiraz, as a way of guaranteeing access to the rarest of our wines.

A Crucible Future gives the holder the right (but not the obligation) to purchase one bottle of 2006 Crucible at the cellar-door price of the 2004 vintage (R295). This instrument not only guarantees access to this singular wine, but does so at a discounted price. When the wine is released in October holders will have until 15 November to redeem their futures, after which they expire. Futures can only be redeemed at Cloof.

The register of Crucible Futures is being held by Flagship Private Asset Management (www.flagshipsa.com), enabling a secondary market in the trading of the futures.