Wine is For Sharing . . . .

Guy Hooper

. . . .or so said Mr. Guy Hooper, who came all the way from Chile to present his company's Santa Ines wines to Penangites.  

Scallops in 3 different sauces

The Lobster

    It was our first anniversary in Penang!  How to make it memorable on a budget?   Luckily, the Santa Ines Winemaker’s dinner fell on the very day of our anniversary.   After reading through the luscious-sounding menu and elegant wine list, we were quick to sign up.  Who could resist Grilled Pacific Scallops,  Baked Baby Lobster and Herb-crusted Rack of Lamb?  Not us!

            The price was incredibly cheap, considering all the gold-or-silver medal winning wines. Each table was blanketed with glistening stemmed wine glasses that were kept full.  Luscious food appeared, each dish more fancy than the one before. We had a grand ole’ time and then, suddenly, it was 11:00 and time to leave the realm of clinking glasses. 

Tiled Wall at Hotel

       By the time the dinner was over, we were in no condition to get home safely, but luckily we didn’t have to.  We’d booked a room right there in the Penaga Hotel, so all we had to do was make it up one floor.  The hotel staff were quite solicitous, whether out of human kindness or simply to protect their hallway full of Chinese antiques that we were in danger of ricocheting off of.  They escorted us right to our door and kindly helped us get through it.

Lobby of Penaga Hotel

            The room was lovely—a tasteful mix of traditional Chinese furnishings paired with tutti-fruiti-colored modern leather furniture.  Works of art were displayed throughout the hotel, including in the guest rooms, a far cry from the “hotel schmaltz” that you see in the chain hotels. I gather that many of the pieces are original art produced by those who’ve been chosen to participate in the Penaga Hotel’s “artist in residence” program. 

Lovely Mix of Old & New!

     
    The bathroom was well-appointed with a super-modern shower, a Jacuzzi, and the occasional nod to the hotel’s past in the vintage vanity and mirror.  The four-poster bed was comfortable, and the little balcony was perfectly suited to sitting with an evening drink or morning coffee and watching the world pass by.  They’ve done an excellent job of blending the old and the new in that charming little hotel!  

Mr. Hooper characterised one of his Santa Ines wines as being “easy, not too complex, friendly, not difficult to understand.”  I think the same can be said for the Penaga Hotel and indeed for Penang itself.