SIMONSIG CELEBRATE A YEAR OF INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS

2006 was a year of accolades for Simonsig Estate, the Stellenbosch pioneers of wine excellence who have proven themselves in the global vineyard with prestigious awards and listings, both in South Africa and abroad.

This reputable cellar situated in the Cape’s premier wine region, scored exceptional ratings in the top trio of the most definitive wine publications in the United States throughout the year. Wine Enthusiast, Wine Spectator and Wine & Spirits Magazine recognised both the value and premium Simonsig ranges, with exceptional ratings – ranging between 84 and 90 points – in all three, with the latter crowning the estate as Top South African Value Brand.

Simonsig Tiara 2000, the estate’s elegant flagship Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc clinched the highest rating for the cellar with a 90-point score in Wine Enthusiast. American wine connoisseurs and judges were equally impressed with the award-winning Simonsig Redhill Pinotage 2003, scoring 89 points in both the Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator magazine.

Simonsig Sauvignon Blanc 2005 and Simonsig Chenin Blanc 2005 were the top achievers amongst the estate’s value whites, excelling with mid-80 ratings in all three titles.

Other prestigious international accolades include the Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel winning 2007 Best Sparkling Wine (non-Champagne) at the annual Proefschrift Wijnconcours awards in the Netherlands, the country’s most reliable benchmark for good value quality wines.  

The 2005 vintage of South Africa’s first Methodé Cap Classique outsparkled world-class contenders from across the globe as one of only 12 wines to score top honours in their respective categories. The Proefschrift Wijnconcours challenge comprises five price categories for both red and white wines; a category for sweet wines and a category for sparkling wines.                                                                                                      
On the local front Simonsig walked off with the top honours as best wine producer at two South African wine competitions. After being singled out as best producer with five Diamond awards at the 2006 Winemakers’ Choice Awards – the only wine competition in South Africa judged exclusively by winemakers – Simonsig won the ultimate trophy for Winemaker of The Year with another five category winners in tow at the 2006 Wine-of-the-Month Club Awards.

As one of the pioneers of social upliftment within the wine industry, Simonsig was singled out at the recent Farm Health Awards programme for 2006 receiving the Special Recognition Award for contributions made to the development of the Farm Worker Community

The Farm Health Awards project was introduced as a pilot programme in 2003 in the Stellenbosch region by RUDNET (Rural Development Network).  The aim of RUDNET is to give recognition to producers who commit themselves to the empowerment and development of their farm worker communities and who promote sound labour relations.

Simonsig Estate, situated on the foothills of the Simonsig mountain near Stellenbosch, celebrates its 40th anniversary in this wine industry in 2008.


From Left: Leslie Fillis, CEO of the Rural Development Network (RUDNET), Johannes Demas,  Chairperson of the Simonsig “Reach for Gold” association, Francois Malan, Managing Director / Owner of Simonsig, Santi Basson, Farm Health Award Project Co-ordinator.