Wine and Restaurants in Kenya

More and more Kenyans are enjoying wine, either at home, nights out and in restaurants. Average wine consumption in Kenya is still very low and much less than 1 litre per person per year – this is higher than most African countries but less than South Africa which has an average consumption of around 7 litres per person per year. The growth in wine sales in Kenya has risen dramatically over the last decade in line with a prospering economy. Restaurants have responded to customer demands for wine and most now maintain a selection of wines. However, selecting a wine in a restaurant may be intimidating with many of us for what ever reason feeling self conscious and worried that we will make a mistake. This is not helped by the fact that the cost of wine in Kenyan restaurants although not expensive in comparison to most Africa countries with the notable exception of South Africa, can nevertheless set you back more than the cost of the food. It is also fair to say that when ordering wine in a Kenyan restaurant, staff may not be able to provide advice, as, through no fault of their own they have received limited training and experience in guiding the guest in their choice of wine. To help in navigating your way around a restaurant’s wine list here are a few tips.

1) Be confident in what you like. While it may be true that so called wine connoisseurs may know a lot about wine, they do not know your preferences and they certainly do not necessarily have a better taste than you do. In other words, if you like sweet and fruity, or, dry and crisp wines then tell the waiter this is what you would like.
2) Read the winelist and note the prices. Do not be worried to tell your waiter that you are looking for value for money, or, that you do not want to spend more than a specified amount. Remember you are paying the bill, not the restaurant.
3) Ordering wine by the glass is relatively expensive. By all means if only one person on your table wants to drink wine then ordering by the glass is the way to go. However, remember once there are two and certainly three people drinking wine it is more economical to order a bottle.
4) Do not necessarily order the house wine. While it is usually true that the house wine will be the cheapest wine on the list it will not necessarily be the best value. Restaurants are more than happy to sell you the house wine as usually this is the wine where they can put the largest mark up on.
5) Remember the mark up. Most restaurants mark up the price of a bottle of wine from 100% to 300% on the wholesale price. Since you’re paying so much I recommend something you can’t get at the local supermarket or shops which sell wine. What is the point of spending twice or three times as much on a bottle of wine you can get at the supermarket next door?
6) Check the wine when it is brought to your table. You would be surprised how often a wine brought to your table is different to the one you ordered on the wine list. More often the vintage (year) is different and at least for European wines the variations in quality from one vintage to the next can be significant.
7) Do not smell the cork. By all means check that the cork is not crumbling and that the cork bottom is moist; but smelling the cork is no indication that the wine is good, bad, or, indifferent. Be wary if the waiter has brought the wine to the table with the cork already extracted or the screw-cap ‘cracked’ it may be that some one is filling the bottles with something different to what is on the label.
8) First step is to smell the wine. When the waiter pours a small amount in your glass the first thing to do and more often the only thing you need to do is to smell the wine. The smell or bouquet of a wine is more than enough to tell you if the wine is corked or off. If it smells musty or of bad-eggs then the wine is off and you are perfectly entitled to return the bottle and request a replacement. However, if you do not like the taste of the wine, this is not sufficient reason to send it back and try a different one. You have already made you choice of wine before the bottle is opened. However, I have noticed in Kenya that some restaurants will sometimes let you taste a small amount of the house wine and by all means avail yourself of this service if it is available.
9) My advice is to pour your own wine. Some waiters try and pour out the whole bottle before you have buttered your bread roll. Others believe they are doing the right thing by keeping your glass permanently full. However, wine is best enjoyed with the glass a little more than half full. This allows the “nose” or bouquet and flavours to be fully appreciated. But note –too much “swirling in the glass” - can lead to an embarrassing spillage. Whether or not the waiter has been told to keep-the-glasses-full or not, pouring your own means you are in control of the amount in your glass, and your total intake and not somebody else.
10) Cheap wine doesn’t mean it is bad and expensive wine doesn’t mean it’s good. But expensive wine is usually expensive because it’s good and in demand. Simple economics really.

From a restaurant’s perspective in the Kenyan context, it requires some effort to keep a good winelist as I found out when speaking with Kiran Jethwa the Manager and Executive Chef at the restaurant Seven Sea Food and Grill located in the ABC shopping centre in Nairobi. Kiran has gone to a lot of trouble in assembling and keeping a varied and extensive winelist. Kiran’s preference is for wines of the New World, (South Africa, USA, Australia, Chile and the Antipodeans), partly because he prefers the taste and partly because from his patron’s perspective they offer good value for money. New World, unlike Old World (mostly European) wines, are certainly easier to understand because the practice is to state the grape variety or varieties on the label. This makes it easier for the consumer to know what she or he is getting. As Kiran pointed out though, most restaurants in Kenya keep more or less the same selection of wines. The reason for this is the limited number of wine wholesalers and therefore that all restaurants are buying from only five or six companies. For a Kenyan restaurant to source its own supply of wines directly from the maker is at best extremely difficult and at worst impossible as there are strict rules and regulations with regard to obtaining a license to import wines and spirits to Kenya.

The other challenge which Kenyan restaurants face is consistency of supply. Keeping a winelist up to date is a difficult as wines quickly become unavailable particularly if they are good and represent value for money. To partly get around this problem Kiran keeps a ‘Wines of the Month” list at Seven, which if you are a regular patron is a good way of trying different styles of wine rather than sticking with the same wine every visit. While being cautious of recommending a particular wine with a particular dish, Kiran personally likes the Goose Chase wine with the Mambrui Clam Chowder; this is an Australian blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, and is currently available at Seven. Seven does indeed keep a good and extensive wine list and Kiran will only be delighted if you ask for some help on your first or next visit.