There’s little to beat meeting with up with the maker of one of your favourite bottle of bubbles and  have it served chilled on the peaceful patios of the Simonsig Farm with fun conversation about wine and passion.

Find out more about Hannes through the Q&A below and watch our video interview with him here too.

What inspired you to make wine for a living?

To be able to work with a product from nature. One can also express your own personality through the wines you make. Wine is alive.

What excites you about making wine?

To see the development of a wine. To see the grapes ripening and going through the processes of making the wine and to end up finally with a great product in bottle. Not one day at the cellar is the same. Every day comes with new challenges and surprises.

What are some of your favourite aspects of your wine region?

Stellenbosch is a unique wine growing area. It offer a wide variety of diversity. Wines from Stellenbosch always shows great personality.

Tell us about your best wine that you have brought to the market and what it felt like creating and sharing it?

Simonsig Cuvee Royale 2010. I have a great passion for bubbles. This was my first harvest Simonsig. This wine is really a spectacular wine and is showing great potential. I am really excited to see what this wine will do with age.

What’s your favourite wine and why?

Champagne Salon.

What would your message be to people discovering and drinking wine for the first
time?

Buckle up and enjoy the ride. The wine world is a great experience.

Wine lingo – your favourite wine word and what it means?

Never drink less wine than your shoe size. If you have a size 7 you must drink at least 7 glasses per week or night.