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.