Award-winning Restaurant Mosaic sells off wine from its legendary wine cellar

Pretoria’s famed fine-dining destination Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient has permanently closed its doors, and has opened its legendary wine cellar to buyers.

Having been lucky enough to be invited into this cellar for a tasting, I can report it is an Aladdin’s cave for collectors.

Accessed by steep stairs — sufficiently challenging to navigate without any alcohol under your belt — it is home to one of the largest private wine collections in the country and boasts a whopping 85,000 bottles from SA and beyond.

I was mesmerised by the valuable gems in this vast cavern, which include 25 vintages of Klein Constantia Vin de Constance plus aged Bordeaux from celebrated French estates such as Château Lafite Rothschild.

There’s also a collection of port that dates back to the 1960s, an enviable selection of brandies  and plenty of French champagne, some of the finest alongside the best of the smaller growers.

This incredible cellar is one of the reasons Restaurant Mosaic has won numerous vino-related accolades during its 15-year history. Another is the eatery’s acclaimed gardener-turned-sommelier, Moses Magwaza.

Magwaza will be an integral part of the team overseeing the progressive sale of the collection. Having started on March 29, different parts of the cellar will be made available to purchase at intervals with the entire process set to take three to five years. 

• For more information on how to get your hands on a bottle or two, e-mail mosaic@greatdomaines.co.za

• This article was originally published by the Sunday Times Lifestyle. Read more content like this at the Sunday Times website.