One of the many Cape estates experiencing an endless summer of wine tourism success is Simonsig, and this is no surprise. The Stellenbosch farm has always been a wine tourism pioneer. In the 1970’s legendary patron Frans Malan played a lead role in engineering wine tourism in South Africa and as far back as I can remember Simonsig has always been known as a winery with open doors and a hospitable, welcoming atmosphere.

I stopped by last week to pick-up some pre New Year bubbly, and the place was packed with local and international tourists. Hoping to squeeze in a bit of wine-tasting from an attentive staff-member, the numbers of tasting-room visitors was a bit intimidating for us introverts. But the staff were on the money, briskly moving around filling glasses and offering wine advice without missing a beat.