The first Malans came to this part of the world in 1688 as part of the French Hugeonots. Today the Malans are in the 10th generation in South Africa and in the 3rd generation on this specific property. Piet van Niekerk bought this property in 1943 and Frans Malan married one of his daughters, Liza. This is how the farm came into the Malan family.
Since French Huguenot Jacques Malan first set foot in the Cape in 1688, the Malan family’s wine knowledge accumulated over many generations. The late Frans Malan, beloved patriarch of the Malan Family and one of the pioneers of the South African wine industry, was not only a craftsman of superior wines, but also introduced groundbreaking innovations including co-finding the Stellenbosch Wine Route and producing South Africa’s first Méthode Cap Classique, a bottle fermented sparkling wine made in the style of French champagne. Today, his legacy lives on through his sons, Francois and Johan, and grandson Francois-Jacques, the 2nd and 3rd Malan generations at Simonsig Estate.
Simonsig Family Vineyards
