SIMONSIG ESTATE MAKES HISTORY AT PINOTAGE TOP 10 AWARDS
Simonsig Wine Estate has just become one of the most successful wineries in the history of the Absa Top 10 Pinotage competition. The inclusion of its Malan Family Selection Redhill Pinotage 2019 by the competition’s esteemed panel this week brings to eight the number of times the Stellenbosch winery has collected this much-envied trophy.
Founded by the Pinotage Association, the annual Absa Top 10 Pinotage competition seeks to identify distinctive Pinotage wines to serve as the benchmark for the industry. As such, Simonsig’s consistent success re-affirms the leadership its pinotage has played in defining the quality of this South African variety.
“Pinotage has a special place in the heart of all South African wine lovers, so it’s particularly gratifying to receive recognition like this,” says Michael Malan, the third generation Simonsig winemaker who heads up red wine production. “The credit belongs to everyone at the farm, from the vineyards to the cellar.”
Simonsig Wine Estate’spioneering contributions have made it synonymous with the history of the South African wine industry and the Stellenbosch wine region. As for the Pinotage variety, it too occupies a special place in the winery’s history.
The first red wine released by Simonsig in 1970 was a Pinotage. True to his pioneering spirit, family patriarch Frans Malan turned to new small French oak barriques for this wine.
