We get to know Penny Setti, sommelier and owner of Cape Town wine bar Penny Noire. She talks all things wine and what it means to be a woman in the business, and gives five quick tips on how to cook with wine:

What budget-friendly wines would you recommend cooking with? 
Adi Badenhorst’s Secateurs is both fun to have a glass while cooking and to cook with. If I want to drink the wine, then I will cook with it. It makes a difference in your end product. For example, if you are steaming mussels in white wine. 

What are the most important things to consider when pairing wine with food? 
It’s important to focus on how you prepare your protein, the sauce and the flavour your food will have. For example, A pepper-crusted tuna will pair well with a Syrah, as the spicy peppercorns will complement the wine. 

Can you give 5 quick tips on how to incorporate wine into your cooking? 

1. Use wine as a marinade base.
2. Braise food (like a whole chicken) with wine.
3. Wine can be used to deglaze after roasting.
4. It’s perfect to make either a reduction or gravy.
5. Some sweet wines are great to have poured over ice cream as dessert.

You opened your wine bar Penny Noire in 2022. What has been the absolute  highlight of running
a wine bar?  
The biggest highlight was and is showcasing the amazing wines and talents we have in this part of the world. I have a curious mind, so I love to use the bar as my playground to explore that.   

What has been the most difficult part of being a woman stepping into the world of wine?  
The hardest part is proving one’s worth, but it is like that with most things in life. It has been an absolute joy to see more and more women over the past eight years being recognised in the wine industry. We have each other to lean on, and we can concentrate on the fun side of something we love doing.  

What advice can you give other future female sommeliers?  `
Don’t limit yourself to what you “can” and “can’t” do. You can only find out how high the ceiling is if you reach for it. It’s tough and the hours are long, but if you love what you do, the rewards trump it all.     

Get to know Penny: This or that   

Beach vacay or safari getaway? 
Safari getaway, for sure. 

White wine or red wine? 
I lean more towards white wine.  

A night out or a night in?  
I love a night in!  

City life or country queen?
Definitely the buzzing city life  

Glass half full or glass half empty? 
Umm … both. It depends on the situation. 

Fine dining or comfort food at home? 
Comfort food!  

Fruity or woody notes?  
I prefer fruity notes. 

Stemmed or stemless wine glasses? 
Stem, please!  

Photographs: Supplied

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The wine world is a complex one, but colour is a language we all seem to understand 

For the most part, basic conventions of wine consumption is universally known. Most have an idea of which varietals to pair with which protein, while some have an intimate understanding of how many glasses of wine will make them feel wonky in the morning. All this aside, the varying colours of wine is something that is often spoken about but not always fully understood.

What do hue mean?

The next time you enjoy a glass of wine, give it a swirl, tilt it slightly, hold it up to the light and have a good look. Oftentimes, with an experienced eye, the specific shade or colouring of a wine may even give away its varietal. Generally speaking, the deeper a wine’s colour, the more extracted the flavour should be. This doesn’t necessarily mean that: ‘A dark wine is more flavourful and a light wine is flat’. There’s more complexity and nuance to the colour of wine.

Red notice

Wondering how red wines get their colour? Anthocyanin! When red grape skins are left behind with the juice, then this pigment gets to work and stains the wine, allowing it to take on the red colour. The longer the grape skins are allowed to ferment with the juice, the more colour is extracted. Cherry to magenta-shaded red wines are associated with wines that are lighter-bodied and marginally tannic with plenty of acidity – think Pinot Noir such as Paul Cluver’s Seven Flags Pinot Noir. The richer crimson, ruby and deep cherry-hued reds denote medium body with a higher tannic feel and just enough acidity. Think Merlots such as Vergelegen Reserve Merlot.

Sipping on something that is mulberry to garnet in colour? You will most likely find the wine is full-bodied with deeply extracted flavours. These are, more often than not, the more desired wines such as Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, which are sought after for their ageing potential. When a mulberry to garnet wine begins to turn slightly opaque, they’re still very drinkable – a usual no-go for other wines. While ageing your reds, make sure to look out for any tinge of dull brown colour – this would be an indication that the wine quality has hit its peak and has declined.

Rosé tinted glasses

As a rosé connoisseur, you may notice that rosés come in different shades – pale pink, coral, light salmon, sometimes even light orange or pale lavender. Just like reds, rosés get their colour by grape skin contact. For most rosé winemakers, maceration takes a few hours to a day to reach the desired colour and once the perfect shade is secured, the grape skins are removed and the juice is fermented. If you’ve ever experienced the misfortune of your rosé looking more brown than pink, there’s a dilemma. Chances are that your wine has oxidised or is way past ripe.

White, bright and airy

White wines may have the broadest colour variation spectrum. These will exhibit anything from pale green and light yellow to deep gold and sometimes even beautifully faded orange shades. The younger, fresher and lighter in body white wines are often found at the dull end of the white-wine colour spectrum. These wines should be enjoyed cold and while young – think poolside sipping in warmer months or
al fresco summer dinners.

The soft gold, straw and lemony yellow range is the largest white-wine colour category. These crowd pleasers are of moderate maturity and medium body such as unoaked Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Deeper golden-hued white wines are made up of buttery Chardonnays and Viogniers, which are bold in flavour and have some oak ageing experience. Lower acidity levels make these wines perfect for immediate drinking and could even be stored for a little longer than most white wines. 

Words by Carmen Van Wyk 
Photography: Shutterstock, Pexels

It’s no secret that tea not only provides comfort, but holds healing properties as well. We’re diving into the benefits of tea and what it can do for your body and mind.

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No need to stress about which wines to pair with your charcuterie board. Here are some tips and tricks from a few local industry experts  

The first point of call when addressing charcuterie is the pronunciation. Let’s say it together: sha-queue-ter-ree. Go on, say it one more time, just for good measure. While the word may seem a bit intimidating, the boards themselves are nothing to be afraid of. Hospitality expert Maurice Beaver of Drink and Pair describes this expertly cured meat as: ‘Any processed meat that has been dehydrated, salted, smoked or cured using some other process.  You’ll often see charcuterie served on a platter on its own before a meal, or as antipasto, where it is accompanied by grilled veggies, cheese, marinated or pickled vegetables and olives.’ 

Chef Katlego Mlambo from The Marabi Club and host of Kasi-licious says: ‘I love the relationship between a good full-bodied red wine and a delicious fatty and spicy charcuterie.’ It feels as though this is a glorious no-brainer, but there are a few combinations one could consider. As with most things in the food and wine world, it really is all about interpretation. A general rule of thumb is that when faced with a board of milder, saltier meats such as prosciutto, soppressata, or mortadella, all ideal for a beginner’s charcuterie platter, look for lighter white wines such as Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc or medium-bodied reds such as a Pinot Noir or Merlot.

And if you’re feeling adventurous, a fruity Prosecco would set that platter ablaze! These pieces of artistically nurtured meats often hail from France, Italy and Spain – cultures that appreciate spices, heat and full-bodied flavours in food. When enjoying a board studded with picante chorizo, peppered salami or luxuriously flavoursome guanciale, choose a wine that can take the heat but also stand up to the flavours. Pour yourself a glass of chilled Chenin Blanc, hearty Malbec or sultry Gamay to offer you enough gees to take on the flavours of the charcuterie. 

Some have argued that there is no need to be fussed about what tipple to order with your platter of cured meats. David Higgs, Chef at Marble, Saint and Zioux, judge on My Kitchen Rules SA and cookbook author says that: ‘Sometimes, I drink champagne with it. It cuts through the fat, with the saltiness and the sweetness. Other times, I want to drink red wine with it. And sometimes, a whisky or cognac because it can stand up to those flavours’. David, being the bold man that he is, makes some suggestions that would woo any palate, should they dare to indulge. 

Adam Robinson from Durban’s golden child, The Glenwood Bakery, laments that: ‘If one wants to get extremely esoteric, it is worth remembering that both products are fermented and the bacterial fermentation plays a large part in the flavour profile of both products. Nutty, fruity, rich, sweet – you can find all those flavours in a good cured meat as well as wine.’ We enjoy Adam’s uncomplicated but scientifically driven perspective on the subject. It appeals to the food nerd in us all, we would think.  The next time you saddle up to the bar and order some wafer-thin slices of whatever dry-aged hunk of desire they have placed within arm’s reach, don’t be stressed about what to pair it with. Rather swing from the hip because chances are that you can’t really land too far off the mark. 

Words by Kamini Pather
Photography: Pexels, Courtesy Images

Make lunches (and leftovers) a breeze with this salami panzanella salad with sweet dressing! Using up old bread have never been easier.

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The next time you have guests over be creative and serve this lemon, honey and white wine slushy. Your guests will be so impressed!

SERVES 10 // COOK TIME 10 min          

INGREDIENTS
1 bottle white wine
2 cups ice
⅓ cup honey
Zest and juice of 1 lemon, plus slices to garnish
Thyme sprigs, to garnish

METHOD
1. Combine the wine, ice, honey and lemon in a food processor, and blend to a slushy consistency.
2. Spoon into glasses, and garnish with thyme sprigs and lemon slices. Serve immediately.

Tequila and thyme are no doubt a match made in heaven! Fresh and bursting with flavour, this thyme and tequila lemonade is the ultimate sundowner.

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Save this delicious recipe for the next time you host brunch at home. These summery berry mimosas will be the perfect warm welcome.

SERVES 8 // COOKING 10 min

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp lemon juice
¼ cup caster sugar
2 cups cranberry juice
2 bottles sparkling wine (or berry juice)
16 cherries
8 rosemary sprigs

METHOD
1. Add the lemon juice to one saucer and the caster sugar to another.
2. Dip the rim of each Champagne flute first into the lemon juice and then into the caster sugar. Set aside for minutes.
3. Fill each glass a third of the way up with cranberry juice, then top off with the sparkling wine.
4. Drop two cherries into each glass and garnish with sprigs of fresh rosemary.

Recipe & styling: Kate Turner
Photography: K-Leigh Siebritz // HMimages.co.za

In case you need to refresh your memory on hosting, we’ve put together a guide on how to achieve the perfect brunch.

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We used white wine for this fruity white sangria, but you can opt a refreshing alcohol-free summer beverage with white grape juice or apple juice. Peaches, plums, raspberries and cherries will also make wonderful sweet additions!

SERVES 8 // COOKING TIME 15 min

INGREDIENTS
2 × 750 ml bottles white wine (or your choice of fruit juice)
1½ cups ginger beer
1 cup white grape juice
1 lemon, sliced
2 limes, sliced
8 strawberries, sliced
1 apple, thinly sliced
⅔  cup blueberries

METHOD
1. Mix the wine, ginger beer and grape juice together in a jug.
2. Add the fruit and stir again.
3. Serve chilled over ice.

Recipe & styling: Kate Turner
Photography: K-Leigh Siebritz // HMimages.co.za

What would summer be without iced tea? We have a delicious tipsy rooibos iced tea where you can simply leave out the rum for a booze-free option.

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