Summertime is in full swing, and I’ve joined a boccé ball league.

Yes, I did.

I’ve never played before and now was as good a time as ever. I showed up early on a Friday evening ready to impress my team — with 2 bottles of Simonsig South Africa Kaapse Vonkel sparkling wine in-hand, one a 2016, and an award-winning 2015 brut. I skipped the first game and spent time popping corks over introductions with my team. We noshed and sipped in preparation of my inaugural boccé ball game (pétanque if you’re French).

I knew this Simonsig would be a winner because I sipped this last summer and fell in love with  this elegant South African rosé of pinot noir bubbles. It’s also got a bit of chardonnay and pinot meunier to add complexity — always a good idea to add finesse.

Bring a bottle to a friend’s for brunch on a lazy Sunday morning, or saber open a bottle with some takeout sushi. Bring a bottle and pay a corkage fee to enjoy Simonsig with a dozen oysters and a good friend.

By the time the first game was over, so was the Simonsig. Although I didn’t drink alone, I realized I had imbibed liquid courage to play this strange game that wasn’t quite like bowling as I’d thought when my first ball hit the wall, but more like pool. In fact, I kept this thought in my head as I took out my opponent’s green ball and moved my red in its place, but a bit closer to the palino (that little white target ball thrown out as the game begins).

My bubbly bribe worked, and I made new friends who shared my love for this South African brut. It was a win-win-win as my team won my first game, the bubbly I brought was a winner, and I won over a group of new friends.

Check out Simonsig bubbles at Quintessential Wines.