Filling non-alcoholic gap

Ziyanda Tutu, a qualified winemaker and granddaughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, recently launched her own alcohol-free wine label for teetotallers

What motivated you to make a nonalcoholic wine?

I saw a gap in the market in the years that I was working at Browns Restaurant as a cellarmaster and functions co-ordinator. There are many reasons that people may not drink alcohol, but they still want something that is sophisticated. Fewer people are drinking because of the drink driving laws.

I have friends who enjoy wine and have become pregnant. There is no substitute for them.

Can you still define your product as a wine even though it’s non-alcoholic?

Strictly speaking, it cannot be defined as wine under legislation, because it hasn’t got enough alcohol. So I am not allowed to use the term ‘wine’ on the bottle itself.

What is the difference between a non-alcoholic wine and a fruit juice?

Sena ‘wines’ have gone through a fermentation process (like other wines). But this is a wine from which the alcohol has been removed. So it went Heady refers to the intense smell of high alcohol content in a wine through an alcoholic fermentation process. Oh! you are going to get many of the health benefits of wine without the negative effects of alcohol. So it is not just a grape juice.

What does the name Sena mean?

Sena is a Ghanaian name. It means God-given. The Ghanaian name is the result of my paternal family having actually originated from Ghana. The surname Tutu comes from Osei Tutu. I have also used black and gold on the label. I am going back to my roots and thanking my maker as well.

Where does one buy it?

Right now it is only available in Gauteng. I have been taking orders personally via e-mail ziyandatutu@yahoo.co.za In Gauteng, I am using an online company called Washesha.

I am opening up to Western Cape and Natal by the end of November. I am also arranging export into west Africa and east Africa in weeks to come.

What does your wine range consist of?

There is white, rose and red.

How do Sena wines rate when it comes to calories?

It is lower in calories. The white wine for instance is only 52 kJ per 100ml.