Simonsig Family Vineyards — Attraction in Stellenbosch Local Municipality

Recap Simonsig Estate is set on an enjoyable corner of Stellenbosch valley enhanced by remarkable views. It’s catchy yet not returning what promises. Incredibly overrated wines and disappointing food platters. Not willing to return.

Story We went with friends over a weekend in mid-August and enjoyed a lovely sunny but really warm winter day which let us indulge of wines, food, views et cetera ie. the full package deal.

Actually the wine tasting turned very disappointing as it starts with the flagship top level sparkling - or MCC ie. Method Cap Classique - and goes down to Brut and Rosè et cetera. Technically you should always start with the entry-level and go up not viceversa hence the approach, experienced palates shall be acquainted to skip any wine tastings which offer the top line for entry. The Simonsig Brut is plain like a tasteless juice almost, the Rose bitter, unbodied and with almost zero perlage (one barely can finish a glass), the flagship Cuvée Royale doable yet not unforgettable. Perlage ie. the aggregation of tiny bubbles which forms on the surface of a glass of sparkling wine - in general very poor for any Simonsig MCC. The wine farm has also a full range of red / white cultivars but it is well known for their MCCs hence to not let any stones unturned we decided to go with their range of white and skip red on the account of the weather (+22* degrees C). The Sauvignon does not worth, the Chenin does worth trying, the Gewürztraminer too rich in flavors and sweetness. We ended up ordering full range of mixed cheese & meat platters (2) speaking of which, also was not returning the expectation. For R220 platter - give or take - you’ll get 4 (yes four) slices of meat and 4 pieces of cheese big enough to accompany the three slices of crunch bread on the side. If I hadn’t seen with my eyes wouldn’t believe it.

Debrief Stellenbosch wine tastings offer quality standards waay different from Simonsig’s. Their sparklings do not deserve the sound attention they have. Ultimately, never look for sparkling wine from Stellenbosch as the wine district for MCCs is Franschhoek with some unexpected great stuff from Constantia area (don’t say too loud and don’t ask for dets,...

Lovely wine farm. The setting is great, since the restaurant is closed they moved the wine tasting area under the trees in front of the building which is amazing especially on a hot summer day. If you want to sit on the lawn you can simply order a bottle of wine and relax.

Their wine tasting options are pre determined and you can choose one of a few different options depending on your preference. You can still order per glass or ask to swop out a wine if you want. The staff is very friendly and accommodating as well as knowledgeable about the wines and the wine making process ( :) at least the person who served us). The bubbly is amazing and they also have some desert wine options for someone with a rather sweat tooth or pallet.

The platters are a joke though. R195 for a cheese, meat or mixed platter. The pieces on the platter are a few bite sizes with some bread and garnish. This really only serves one person when drinking 5 wines. They could really do a bit better here and rather asked for a little more money and put a decent piece of cheese and/or meat on the platter hence only 4 stars. Still will always go back as their wines and the bubbly tastes amazing and prices are for a bottle are reasonable just make sure you eat something before -...

Specially went for the Pinotage Day 2020 celebrations. We were greeted with that horrible line 'Did you make a reservation?'. The restaurant and tasting area were less than 10% occupied. So they seated the two of us in steerage in the cool breeze. For the Pino day tasting they crammed in 6 wines, ranging from just over a hundred Rand to about R400. Some the vintage wines had not been decanted yet so they took a while to open up. I had the server pour the '12 again as I got the cork. We decided to order the charcuterie which left a lot to be desired. The proscuitto was so thick it was could have classed as a pork steak. The other cuts were in the same realm so maybe the butcher can adjust the slicer for a better experience. The bread was old and tastless, and the olives had some raw garlic in the dressing. After deciding we were done our server disappeared even though I had requested the bill. My presence at the Tasting Room bar 10 minutes later was his reminder. We have had way better experiences at Simonsig before and I would encourage them to do better...