A group of seven students here in Nairobi have recently completed two exams for the Certificate course of the Cape Wine Academy. The Certificate course is no synch covering as it does viticulture, wine making, knowledge of grape varieties, South African wine producing areas, Brandy, fortified, and sparkling and sweet wines (see http://www.capewineacademy.co.za/ for more information). The course culminates in two exams a written paper covering theory and a tasting exam.
The students in Nairobi had already completed an introductory course, but with the Certificate course this was the first time a tasting exam had been tackled. Teaching the course has been really interesting not least because watching the students gain knowledge and confidence as they go along has given me a real kick. Wine education is sometimes criticised for at best being subjective and at worst full of waffle and flowery language. Analytical wine tasting does not necessarily claim to be an exact science. It can though demonstrate that the quality of any given wine can be assessed and verified over a large group of people. The Kenyan Certificate students have travelled a long road very quickly and at the risk of sounding patronizing to my scholars they have moved from wine consumers to tasters. All the students have worked hard and put far more effort into the course than they probably anticipated at the beginning. The students results are not in yet, but I anticipate they will all pass with flying colours. One final observation relates to this new cadre of wine aficionados. It is great fun watching them out in Nairobi restaurants, which are not necessairly known for their extensive wine knowledge (more about this subject in a forthcoming blog). Sniffing and swirling usually gives the waiters a fright and the subsequent discussion at the table as to the wines qualities leave them further dumfounded. Not exactly a wine revolution yet in Nairobi, but as it is said even the longest journey starts with a single step.
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