PENELOPE SETTI PORTRAIT
CLAIRE GUNN
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BY
MICHELLE COBURN
44 TASTE AUGUST 2019
DRINK LIKEA PRO
The wino files
Howlongcanyoukeepanopenbottleinthefridge?Whichwineswillagewell?Andwhichvarietalis
really the most versatile? We asked three women in the wine biz to answer our most pressing questions
TABLE TALK
NormaRatcliffeofWarwickWine
Estateisoneofmyicons.Shelearnt
howtomake,sellandmarketwine,and
establisha winebrand.Shewasahead
ofhertimeandherpioneeringcareer
pavedthewayforthenextgeneration.
SauvignonBlancisyourgo-to
“onewinefitsall”variety.AtSteenberg
wehavea sparklingSauvignonBlancfor
drinksandcanapés,SteenbergSauvignon
Blancforstarters,RattlesnakeSauvignon
Blancforscrumptiouspastamains,and
BlackSwanSauvignonBlancwithseafood.
Thenit’sbacktosparklingSauvignon
Blancwitha fruitydessert.
I canalwaysfinda reasontoopen
a bottleofbubblesand,athome,I make
surethatI neverrunoutofSteenberg 1682
ChardonnayMCC(R199.99atWoolies).It
has beautifulGrannySmithapplearomas
withovertonesofbriocheanda creamy
freshmouthfeel,andpairsnicelywith
oystersandseafoodorcheeseplatters.
I don’tlikebeingtoldwhichwine
topairwitha dish.I liketomakeup
myownmindbecauseI believeweall
experiencethetasteoffoodandwine
slightlydifferently.Sohowabouthaving
redwinewithyourdessertfora change?
ThinkNebbiolowitha Gorgonzola
fritter,poachedNebbiolopear,candied
kumquatsandNebbiolo syrup.
steenbergfarm.com
THEBLOGGER
&MARKETER
GosiaYoung
I wasdrawntothe
worldofwineforits
beautifulbalancebetweentheartsand
sciences.Wineis 50%chemistryand
correctmeasurements and 50% skill,
craft and luck.
Thebiggestmisconceptionabout
SAwinesis thatwedon’thavethe
credentialstomakeexpensive,iconic
wines.Fortoolongwehavebeenseen
as“goodvalueformoneyfromthe
newworld”.Butweproducepremium
winesthatcomfortablystackupagainst
anythingtherestoftheworldcan
produce.Weshouldbelieveinour
ownproductsandsupportthe
industry by buying local.
THEWINEMAKER
ElundaBasson,
Steenberg
Makingwinehas
taughtmethatany
momentcanbeturnedintoa special
occasionsimplybychoosingtherightwine.
I’velearnttostayhumbledbythebeauty
of natureandtorespectterroirasthetrue
starting point of an amazing wine.