As the grandson of the Simonsig legend Frans Malan, Michael Frans Malan is one of the few third generation winemakers in Stellenbosch. Michael was promoted to cellarmaster after working as red winemaker at Simonsig for 6 years and gaining experience in Italy, Australia, and South Africa.
But the decision to follow in the footsteps of the previous two generations was not a foregone conclusion.
“I had always enjoyed maths and chemistry at school, so when it came to choosing a direction in which to study I applied for engineering as well as for viticulture and oenology at the University of Stellenbosch, and was accepted for both study-fields,” says the enthusiastic 30 year-old Michael. But the final decision came during a gap year when he found himself working a harvest in the Alto Adige region of Italy.
“The other workers and I couldn’t speak each other’s language, so all communication was done around vineyards, grapes and wine-making. We might not have been able to speak to each other, but wine was a shared passion and a value we had in common,” he says. “It was in this environment I decided, right, this is it. Hello winemaking and goodbye engineering.” Like his grandfather and father before him, Michael graduated with a BSc degree in viticulture at Stellenbosch University.
After graduating at Stellenbosch University Michael set off to see the other parts of the wine world. He did two harvests in Coonawarra at Brands Laira as well as working at d’Arenberg in McLaren Vale, Australia.
Back in South Africa, Michael headed to the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley where he worked with JC and Carolyn Martin at Creation, one of the country’s dynamic new-generation cellars. “Great people to work with. JC’s Swiss precision in the vineyards and the cellar, and Carolyn’s marketing energy and skill.”
But with the age of 30 drawing near, Simonsig called for Michael. “I spent 2018 working in the vineyards, getting to know each and every block, something a winemaker needs if he or she is going to do justice to those grapes by turning them into wine,” he says.
At the dawn of harvest 2023, Michael Malan was appointed as cellarmaster, working alongside his father Johan Malan, who is the Director of Wine.