The adage that good food is first and foremost dependent on good ingredients seems particularly true for Italian food. Italians are famous for their pride in sourcing the finest raw materials and with consummate ease seemingly just assemble them to produce delicious cuisine. It is the insistence on quality that is impressive. Pasta has to be made from hard wheat, preferably durum, mozzarella has to made from buffalo’s milk, prosciutto preferably from the Parma region and made from a particular breed of pig, and even the humble tomato, of which there are over three-hundred varieties grown in Italy, has to be right and ripe one. The fact that the quality of the ingredients is paramount rather than contradicting seems to reaffirm the fact that most of Italy’s great dishes are what can be described as ‘poor-peoples’ foods. Italian food is everyday food and perhaps that is why it is loved the world over including in Kenya.
Maize is still king in Kenya and for most Kenyan’s they have not properly ‘eaten’ unless ugali, (maize flour cooked with water to a porridge or dough-like consistency), has been consumed. Nevertheless, every Kenyan city and town just like the rest of the world has its pizza and pasta joints that churn out what is occasionally authentic, but mostly approximations of Italian cuisine. Good Italian food in Kenya is usually found as a result of the relatively large and lively Italian community most of whom seem to be involved in a small or large way in providing Italian food and occasionally wine.
The first Italians came to what was East Africa in the 19th Century mostly for the Catholic Church. During the Second World War thousands of Italians soldiers were held at a number of camps throughout the country including in Gilgil, Naivasha and Nyerie. Some of the ex-prisoners stayed on after the end of the war and throughout the latter half of the 20th Century were joined by growing numbers of their compatriots. Malindi on Kenya’s coast north of Mombassa has become particularly popular with Italians and is known locally as Little Milan after the famous city in the north Italian region of Lombardy. There are about 4,000 Italians living in and around Malindi who own and operate 30 beach hotels and six safari lodges not to mention a host of Italian restaurants.
In Nairobi and Mombassa as well as many other cities and towns there are Italian supermarkets stocked with produce from home as well as produce from Kenya, either made by Italian expatriates or made in an Italian style. For the wine it is a different story for while there is plenty of Italian wine to be found whether it is known or even liked by Kenyans is more difficult to say.
Italy has surpassed France in recent years as the world’s largest producer of wine and the Italians still consume an awful lot of that wine themselves: about 50 litres per capita per year. Wine books, at least those written by non-Italians, often portray Italy’s wines in the form of a dichotomy. On the one hand, an ocean of what is euphemistically described as rustic or country wine perhaps the quintessential plonk, and that I should add is not meant to be derogatory. On the other hand, sublime examples of great wines often made from indigenous grape varieties, expensive, but matching beautifully the regional cuisines.
In Nairobi examples of Italian wines that fit into a number of categories can be found. At the lower end, 5, 10, and even 20 litres container of Italian generic wine can be found in the main supermarkets. There is usually not much information on the label as to what is in the container and certainly not what grape variety the wine is made from. At around the equivalent of KSH150 to 200 (US$2 to 2.5) per litre one should perhaps not expect much from these wines other than they are made from fermented grape juice.
Up a notch in quality, Italian wines like Valpolicella can be found in Nairobi, which originate from the Vento region in north east Italy. Valpolicella presents an array of wines of varying quality. Perhaps at their best Valpolicella is fruity, eminently drinkable, medium-weight product that compliments superbly a variety of Italian foods. Unfortunately and perhaps more often, Valpolicella for the most part can taste rather thin and acidic. The Valpolicella wine production regulations, (what is called the Denominazione di Origine Controllata, the Italian form of the French Appellation Contrôlée system), stipulates that a maximum limit of 70 per cent of the Corvina grapes in the wine, which is an impediment to those that believe the best Valpolicella is made from 100 per cent Corvina. In Nairobi look out for bottles that have on the label Valpolicella Classico or Valpolicella Superior, or rather ironically, given that it is in theory a lower classification, Valpolicella vino da tavola as this classification permits the use of 100 per cent of the Corvina grape.
At the upper end of the quality spectrum for Italian wine can be found wines from Italy’s famous and world-class wine producing regions. From the Tuscany region of central Italy famous wines such as Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, (confusingly not made from the grape variety Montepulciano), can be found. From the Piedmont region in the north west of Italy can be found Barbaresco, Barbera, and Barolo wines. These wines often described as massive are made from perhaps Italy’s best indigenous red grape variety Nebbiolo. These wines are only available from a handful of Italian families that import these specialised and expensive wines such as the New Italycor Ltd in Nairobi.
Finally and a wonderful quirk is Kenya’s own Italian wine. Meru Wine based not far from the town of Meru close to Mount Kenya, produce Barbera a Red Table Wine as well as a White Table Wine and a Communion Wine. The text on the back label of the Barbera wine is wonderfully romantic describing how in 1904 Monsignor Perlo and father Carliero planted the first vines around Murang and Nyerie. From the ‘success’ achieved from wines made from the grapes of these first vines, vines were also planted on the Ruiri plains in Meru. It was to these root stock that the brother of Monsignor Perlo grafted Barbera vines brought from the Piedmont region in the north west of Italy. Barbera next to Sangiovese is Italy’s most planted red grape known for its high level of natural acidity a desirable attribute in hot climates; perhaps this is why the brother chose the Barbera grape for Meru? How does it taste? Well the label describes it as, “A mature, full-bodied and honest wine”, and for me that is pretty good description of what it tastes like.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
Bastille Day with Patricia
While the French celebrate the storming of the Bastille and the founding of the Republic, July 14 unsurprisingly for this wine enthusiast is always a good reminder of the oenological delights France produces. France’s position as the world’s dominant wine producer has perhaps over the last twenty years waned just a little at least in the minds of some. In volume terms France in tandem with Italy still produces more wine than any other country with between 7 to 8 million bottles a year. More importantly for wine lovers is the fact that France undoubtedly still produces more fine wine than any other country. It is perhaps a sign of the changing world of wine that today I celebrated Bastille Day with Patricia tasting a number of wines only one of which was French.
Patricia Amira hosts her show on the South Africa based TV channel M-Net, which is broadcast all over Africa. Patricia is a sort of Kenyan equivalent of Oprah and her show’s magazine format covers just about anything you care to mention. I was asked along with two wine friends to participate in a ‘snob-free’ introduction to wine. It was all very relaxed and informal as we guided Patricia and hopefully her viewers through a flight of whites and reds.
That wine was a subject on the Patricia Show reflects the fact it is gaining in popularity among aspiring Africans. Wine consumption is definitely going up as the sales graph with its sharply rising line shows. The doubling, tripling, and quadrupling of annual wine sales needs to be kept in context a little as obviously the base level of consumption is extremely low. Outside of South Africa where annual consumption per person is a round 7 litres, the equivalent consumption levels for the rest of Africa where wine is consumed is probably, and unsurprisingly, well below 1 litre. What I think is true, and this is only based on anecdotal observations, is that wine is the drink that has captured the aspirations of the Kenyan middle classes, or, at least middle class women. Kenyan (wealthy) men and for that matter many African businessmen while not adverse to quality wine brands, in my experience love their (malt) whisky, but that is another story.
The Patricia Show is recorded out in the western suburbs of Nairobi and admittedly I am no expert in these things, but to this novice it all appeared akin to organised chaos. The guest line-up for the show included an inspirational story of a teenager overcoming the traumas of paralysis, the ‘light hearted’ wine tasting segment, and on to the shows star guest a gentlemen in a flowing caftan complete with a fez-like hat who predicts the future.
For our small spot we were asked to identify a proffered flight of wines. I am generally uncomfortable with what is a bit of a party trick, guessing the wine. For some reason folk are unreasonably impressed that after a swirl and a sniff you are able to say, “Oh yes, of course it’s a Gewürtstraminer”. I tell myself that this piece tittle-tattle is all necessary and part of the wider objective of highlighting the pleasures of wine. The studio crew, that is the thirty-odd people in the studio that make the Patricia Show happen, were all excited and often the floor manager had to call for “QUIET”. At the end of the recording of the wine segment the rush to secure the leftovers was quite a sight. I hope the recording of the rest of the show retained a steady focus.
Patricia Amira hosts her show on the South Africa based TV channel M-Net, which is broadcast all over Africa. Patricia is a sort of Kenyan equivalent of Oprah and her show’s magazine format covers just about anything you care to mention. I was asked along with two wine friends to participate in a ‘snob-free’ introduction to wine. It was all very relaxed and informal as we guided Patricia and hopefully her viewers through a flight of whites and reds.
That wine was a subject on the Patricia Show reflects the fact it is gaining in popularity among aspiring Africans. Wine consumption is definitely going up as the sales graph with its sharply rising line shows. The doubling, tripling, and quadrupling of annual wine sales needs to be kept in context a little as obviously the base level of consumption is extremely low. Outside of South Africa where annual consumption per person is a round 7 litres, the equivalent consumption levels for the rest of Africa where wine is consumed is probably, and unsurprisingly, well below 1 litre. What I think is true, and this is only based on anecdotal observations, is that wine is the drink that has captured the aspirations of the Kenyan middle classes, or, at least middle class women. Kenyan (wealthy) men and for that matter many African businessmen while not adverse to quality wine brands, in my experience love their (malt) whisky, but that is another story.
The Patricia Show is recorded out in the western suburbs of Nairobi and admittedly I am no expert in these things, but to this novice it all appeared akin to organised chaos. The guest line-up for the show included an inspirational story of a teenager overcoming the traumas of paralysis, the ‘light hearted’ wine tasting segment, and on to the shows star guest a gentlemen in a flowing caftan complete with a fez-like hat who predicts the future.
For our small spot we were asked to identify a proffered flight of wines. I am generally uncomfortable with what is a bit of a party trick, guessing the wine. For some reason folk are unreasonably impressed that after a swirl and a sniff you are able to say, “Oh yes, of course it’s a Gewürtstraminer”. I tell myself that this piece tittle-tattle is all necessary and part of the wider objective of highlighting the pleasures of wine. The studio crew, that is the thirty-odd people in the studio that make the Patricia Show happen, were all excited and often the floor manager had to call for “QUIET”. At the end of the recording of the wine segment the rush to secure the leftovers was quite a sight. I hope the recording of the rest of the show retained a steady focus.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
“I get juiced on Mateus and just hang loose”
I can picture in my mind what I admit is a somewhat romantic scene. It is of a French, Italian, or Spanish family sitting down to a meal complete with carafe of unassuming (cheap) local wine. The children in my imaginary picture learn by example that food and wine are inseparable, the perfect partners, and grow up to be well balanced adults that of course drink responsibly. The counterpoint to this image is one of a kid in America, although nowadays it could be just about anywhere in the world, sat solitarily in front of a TV chomping on a hamburger and swilling it down with a gallon of coke. The inevitable scenario for this imaginary child is a progression to Alco pops and a young adult life where Saturday nights are spent being sick in the local town centre. Both of my imaginary pictures are based of course on stereotypes, the former less common than I would hope and the latter far less common than I imagine. In reality wine has largely become merely another alcoholic beverage competing with a plethora of alternatives.
Most British people of my generation were not brought up in what can be referred to as a wine culture, something akin to my romantic image of a Mediterranean family at dinner. Growing up wine or alcohol of any kind for that matter was not common in our house. I have a vague memory that at Christmas time one of my parents took out of the cupboard an old, (meaning opened the previous Christmas as opposed to treasured vintage), bottle of sweet-sherry, Harveys Bristol Cream was the favourite. Alternatively a lucky visiting relative maybe offered a port-and-lemon, or pushing it a Stones Ginger Wine, which turned out not to be wine at all by today’s accepted definition, but instead made from a fermented blend of ground ginger and raisins. Wine appeared relatively late on in my teenage life and ironically given my enthusiasm for fermented grape juice I realise now was probably a result of cleaver marketing.
Mateus Rosé was probably the first wine I ever drank. For those of you not familiar with the name, Mateus Rosé was, and still is a sweet, and what the French call pétillant and the Italians call frizzante, but what we called slightly-fizzy, pink wine - a sort of (semi)grown-up equivalent of an anaemic, but crucially alcoholic Ribeana. Originally Mateus Rosé was made in the Minho region in Northern Portugal and modelled on the traditional Vinho Verde wines, (pronounced veen-o-verday), both facts I certainly did not know at the time, and in any case for me far more hip was the funky-shaped bottle. The bottle shape then as it is now was globular, or onion, or what the Germans call Bochsbeutel, and at the time it seemed that a whole cottage industry developed based on turning the empty bottles into table lamps.
The carefully constructed image for the wine was complete with a renaissance-style painting on the label depicting the Mateus Palace, although ironically the wine was never actually from the famous estate. It was all a created myth that this impressionable teenager fell for hook line and sinker. For me Mateus Rosé was the height of sophistication further enhanced when in 1973 Elton John released his Goodbye Yellow Brick Road double LP containing the lyrics of the title of this blog (the song Social Disease, last-but-one track, side four).
Mateus Rosé is in fact one of Europe’s first branded wines with production starting at the end of the Second World War. It was created deliberately to appeal to the developing North American and northern European markets and boy was it successful. By the late 1980’s fifteen years after I was introduced to this iconic wine, sales of Mateus Rosé and a sister white reached 3.25 million cases a year and accounted for more than 40 per cent of Portugal’s total annual table wine exports. By the mid-1990’s Mateus Rosé had lost its lustre as the increasingly sophisticated wine drinkers of North America and northern Europe moved on seduced by the fruit-bomb wines of Australia and the New World in general. For the last decade or so the Mateus Rosé brand has been owned by Sogrape, Portugal’s largest wine producer. Sogrape have relaunched the brand and expanded the range to include a Mateus Rosé Aragones (very sweet at 30 grams of sugar per litre), Shiraz, Temranillo, and a Rosé Sparkling. Interestingly the original Mateus Rosé is largely unchanged the only major differences being that the label is smaller than the original and that it is now mainly produced in the Bairrada region (south of the Minho region) of Portugal.
Kenyans can also enjoy the delights of Mateus Rosé as the main supermarket chains here supply at least two of the variations, the original rosé and the new(ish) Rosé Sparkling. In wine speak they are both technically semi-sweet and relatively low in alcohol; 15 grams per litre, 11 per cent alcohol, and 12 grams per litre and 12 per cent alcohol respectively. The difference from my youth is that in Kenya there are dozens of direct competitors for Mateus that line up on the supermarket shelves. I far as know Kenyan’s like Mateus Rosé and my local supermarket tell me it sells well. I am keeping my eyes pealed to spot the first Kenyan Mateus Rosé table lamp complete with Masai bead work.
Most British people of my generation were not brought up in what can be referred to as a wine culture, something akin to my romantic image of a Mediterranean family at dinner. Growing up wine or alcohol of any kind for that matter was not common in our house. I have a vague memory that at Christmas time one of my parents took out of the cupboard an old, (meaning opened the previous Christmas as opposed to treasured vintage), bottle of sweet-sherry, Harveys Bristol Cream was the favourite. Alternatively a lucky visiting relative maybe offered a port-and-lemon, or pushing it a Stones Ginger Wine, which turned out not to be wine at all by today’s accepted definition, but instead made from a fermented blend of ground ginger and raisins. Wine appeared relatively late on in my teenage life and ironically given my enthusiasm for fermented grape juice I realise now was probably a result of cleaver marketing.
Mateus Rosé was probably the first wine I ever drank. For those of you not familiar with the name, Mateus Rosé was, and still is a sweet, and what the French call pétillant and the Italians call frizzante, but what we called slightly-fizzy, pink wine - a sort of (semi)grown-up equivalent of an anaemic, but crucially alcoholic Ribeana. Originally Mateus Rosé was made in the Minho region in Northern Portugal and modelled on the traditional Vinho Verde wines, (pronounced veen-o-verday), both facts I certainly did not know at the time, and in any case for me far more hip was the funky-shaped bottle. The bottle shape then as it is now was globular, or onion, or what the Germans call Bochsbeutel, and at the time it seemed that a whole cottage industry developed based on turning the empty bottles into table lamps.
The carefully constructed image for the wine was complete with a renaissance-style painting on the label depicting the Mateus Palace, although ironically the wine was never actually from the famous estate. It was all a created myth that this impressionable teenager fell for hook line and sinker. For me Mateus Rosé was the height of sophistication further enhanced when in 1973 Elton John released his Goodbye Yellow Brick Road double LP containing the lyrics of the title of this blog (the song Social Disease, last-but-one track, side four).
Mateus Rosé is in fact one of Europe’s first branded wines with production starting at the end of the Second World War. It was created deliberately to appeal to the developing North American and northern European markets and boy was it successful. By the late 1980’s fifteen years after I was introduced to this iconic wine, sales of Mateus Rosé and a sister white reached 3.25 million cases a year and accounted for more than 40 per cent of Portugal’s total annual table wine exports. By the mid-1990’s Mateus Rosé had lost its lustre as the increasingly sophisticated wine drinkers of North America and northern Europe moved on seduced by the fruit-bomb wines of Australia and the New World in general. For the last decade or so the Mateus Rosé brand has been owned by Sogrape, Portugal’s largest wine producer. Sogrape have relaunched the brand and expanded the range to include a Mateus Rosé Aragones (very sweet at 30 grams of sugar per litre), Shiraz, Temranillo, and a Rosé Sparkling. Interestingly the original Mateus Rosé is largely unchanged the only major differences being that the label is smaller than the original and that it is now mainly produced in the Bairrada region (south of the Minho region) of Portugal.
Kenyans can also enjoy the delights of Mateus Rosé as the main supermarket chains here supply at least two of the variations, the original rosé and the new(ish) Rosé Sparkling. In wine speak they are both technically semi-sweet and relatively low in alcohol; 15 grams per litre, 11 per cent alcohol, and 12 grams per litre and 12 per cent alcohol respectively. The difference from my youth is that in Kenya there are dozens of direct competitors for Mateus that line up on the supermarket shelves. I far as know Kenyan’s like Mateus Rosé and my local supermarket tell me it sells well. I am keeping my eyes pealed to spot the first Kenyan Mateus Rosé table lamp complete with Masai bead work.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
OFSP to you too
Sometimes dubbed as “super-food” the orange-fleshed sweetpotato[1]is much the centre of attention in our household. Part of the convolvulaceae (morning glory) family for those of you botanically inclined they originate from South America where they have been propagated for the last 5,000 years. In Africa the sweetpotato is an important staple in some countries, but more often a supplementary food and usually of the white, cream or yellow fleshed varieties. The International Potato Centre based in Lima, Peru, and its sub-Saharan Africa regional office here in Nairobi, has a large programme underway that aims to promote the growing and consumption of orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) varieties. These are high in beta-carotene (the precursor to Vitamin A) and are also a valuable source of vitamins B, C, and E, and contain moderate levels of iron and zinc. In addition they have a low glycemic index, and therefore are a good energy source for people with diabetes. They are also reported to have all sorts of other almost magical properties such as anti-oxidants and anti-cancer properties, so I heartily suggest you increase your personal consumption forthwith. For me though in our household the challenge has been what wines go well with OFSP?
There is a saying that food and wine go together like peas-in-a-pod and for many cultures one without the other is unimaginable. Throughout Europe at least where vines are grown most regions have over the centuries developed a cuisine to match the local wines, or, it maybe it is the other way around. France is well known for its regional food and wine culture such as the Alsace in the east. With a distinctly Germanic flavour to its food with its charcuterie and terrines, the Alsatians quaff down their spicy Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, and Sylvaner wines as perfect compliments. The Northern Rhône Valley is famous for its red meats and rich sauces that can withstand the robust Syrah based wines of Hermitage, Cornas, and perhaps the more refined Côte Rôtie. In the Southern Rhône the softer Grenache based wines reflect the more subtle flavours of their local cuisine. The Loire Valley in the east of France is famous for its Muscadet white wines produced in Pays Nantais region, which match the local seafood specialities. I could on and it is not just France that has these gastronomic-vinous matches. Throughout Europe at least where grapes are grown and wines are made examples of complimentary food and wines are all around.
I think somewhat different to century’s old traditions of local food and wine cultures, is the growing art and some would claim science of food and wine pairings. If the glossy food magazines are anything to go by, there appears to be a whole industry dedicated to finding the perfect food and wine match. California as with so many new ideas is much at the forefront of the world of food and wine pairings led by some of the large and well known wine estates. The Fetzer wine company for example based in Mendocino County is well know for its almost religious zeal in its search for the perfect food and wine pairings. This is perhaps not unsurprising given that Fetzer has an awful lot of wine to sell, 4 million cases a year to be precise, and to be a tad cynical anything that can help sell wine in this highly competitive wine world is not to be sneezed at.
Personally I am standing on the fence when it comes to an opinion about the merits of the more recent trends of food and wine pairings. On the one hand, I sometimes cringe at the over exuberance of some ‘foodies’ as they wax lyrically about how well foie gras goes with Sauternes or some other such exotic combination. On the other hand, I have also been privileged to have experienced some fabulous food matched superbly with accompanying wines. Indeed next time you happen to be in South Africa’s Cape try the new(ish) restaurant at the Jordan winery just outside Stellenbosch to have your taste buds metaphorically blown away. The Jordan family have also this year opened a restaurant in London called the High Timber and although I have not been there I understand it offers much the same fine dining and wine experience.
In Kenya food and wine matching is somewhat of an esoteric exercise at best confined to a few up-market restaurants or the homes of the elite. As mentioned in a previous blog, this is not to say that Kenya lacks for either an almost infinite variety of foods, most of which it grows or harvests itself, or wines from around the world. Nairobi nowadays as with almost any capital city has access to a myriad of cuisines and styles of cooking from around the world. This is in stark contrast to not that many years ago when it would have been inconceivable to think that now (some) Nairobi residents can now tuck into for example sushi and sashimi washed down with a well chilled Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa or New Zealand.
Finally back to the important OFSP and what wine to match with it. Given the versatility of the OFSP almost anything goes. The sweetpotato by definition is sweet, but as with most food and wine pairings it is either a question of contrasting or complimenting. For a contrast for soups or roasted sweetpotato a zingy Sauvignon Blanc or young Riesling seems to do the trick. For desert such as sweetpotato pie or, I kid you not, a sweetpotato and cinnamon sorbet, then a good compliment seems to be a voluptuous Viognier or sweet wine such as a madeira. Perhaps the ultimate combination of food and wine would be sweetpotato wine, which I have yet to try, but some seem keen to encourage me to try making some.
[1] Sweetpotato is all one word in recognition of the fact that it is recognised by the botanical boffins as a distinct species and not simply another variety of potato.
There is a saying that food and wine go together like peas-in-a-pod and for many cultures one without the other is unimaginable. Throughout Europe at least where vines are grown most regions have over the centuries developed a cuisine to match the local wines, or, it maybe it is the other way around. France is well known for its regional food and wine culture such as the Alsace in the east. With a distinctly Germanic flavour to its food with its charcuterie and terrines, the Alsatians quaff down their spicy Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, and Sylvaner wines as perfect compliments. The Northern Rhône Valley is famous for its red meats and rich sauces that can withstand the robust Syrah based wines of Hermitage, Cornas, and perhaps the more refined Côte Rôtie. In the Southern Rhône the softer Grenache based wines reflect the more subtle flavours of their local cuisine. The Loire Valley in the east of France is famous for its Muscadet white wines produced in Pays Nantais region, which match the local seafood specialities. I could on and it is not just France that has these gastronomic-vinous matches. Throughout Europe at least where grapes are grown and wines are made examples of complimentary food and wines are all around.
I think somewhat different to century’s old traditions of local food and wine cultures, is the growing art and some would claim science of food and wine pairings. If the glossy food magazines are anything to go by, there appears to be a whole industry dedicated to finding the perfect food and wine match. California as with so many new ideas is much at the forefront of the world of food and wine pairings led by some of the large and well known wine estates. The Fetzer wine company for example based in Mendocino County is well know for its almost religious zeal in its search for the perfect food and wine pairings. This is perhaps not unsurprising given that Fetzer has an awful lot of wine to sell, 4 million cases a year to be precise, and to be a tad cynical anything that can help sell wine in this highly competitive wine world is not to be sneezed at.
Personally I am standing on the fence when it comes to an opinion about the merits of the more recent trends of food and wine pairings. On the one hand, I sometimes cringe at the over exuberance of some ‘foodies’ as they wax lyrically about how well foie gras goes with Sauternes or some other such exotic combination. On the other hand, I have also been privileged to have experienced some fabulous food matched superbly with accompanying wines. Indeed next time you happen to be in South Africa’s Cape try the new(ish) restaurant at the Jordan winery just outside Stellenbosch to have your taste buds metaphorically blown away. The Jordan family have also this year opened a restaurant in London called the High Timber and although I have not been there I understand it offers much the same fine dining and wine experience.
In Kenya food and wine matching is somewhat of an esoteric exercise at best confined to a few up-market restaurants or the homes of the elite. As mentioned in a previous blog, this is not to say that Kenya lacks for either an almost infinite variety of foods, most of which it grows or harvests itself, or wines from around the world. Nairobi nowadays as with almost any capital city has access to a myriad of cuisines and styles of cooking from around the world. This is in stark contrast to not that many years ago when it would have been inconceivable to think that now (some) Nairobi residents can now tuck into for example sushi and sashimi washed down with a well chilled Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa or New Zealand.
Finally back to the important OFSP and what wine to match with it. Given the versatility of the OFSP almost anything goes. The sweetpotato by definition is sweet, but as with most food and wine pairings it is either a question of contrasting or complimenting. For a contrast for soups or roasted sweetpotato a zingy Sauvignon Blanc or young Riesling seems to do the trick. For desert such as sweetpotato pie or, I kid you not, a sweetpotato and cinnamon sorbet, then a good compliment seems to be a voluptuous Viognier or sweet wine such as a madeira. Perhaps the ultimate combination of food and wine would be sweetpotato wine, which I have yet to try, but some seem keen to encourage me to try making some.
[1] Sweetpotato is all one word in recognition of the fact that it is recognised by the botanical boffins as a distinct species and not simply another variety of potato.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Wake up and Smell the Coffee, or at least the Mangoes
Teaching wine tasting here in Kenya, albeit on a modest scale, I find that new students are often put off or even intimidated by the flowery language sometimes associated with the wine world. You know the sort of thing I mean when wine tasting gets sent up for all it’s, “hints of mocha-chocolate overlain by cassis and cigar box and perhaps a soupcon of mint”. It is enough to make even the most enthusiastic of wine lovers wince let alone the new wine student. I recently acquired a copy of, ‘Wine Tasting a professional Handbook’ by Ronald S Jackson and its almost 500 pages are to this self-confessed wine geek incredible if not mind boggling. The book to an extent is based on the assumption that it is possible through the adoption of a systematic approach to objectively assess the quality of any given wine. In other words, the preference of the taster whether she or he likes or dislikes the wine has got little if not nothing to do with it.
One of the tools wine tasting has developed in pursuit of assessment of quality are what are called tasting wheels. They vary in their complexity from the highly detailed such as the ones credited to the University of California at Davis to the less complex such as the Keep it Simple Tasting Wheel commonly abbreviated to KIST. These tasting wheels all endevour to provide a template to enable the taster to link the smell and taste of a wine with standardised associations for any given grape variety. For example, the red grape Cabernet Sauvignon is described as possessing a black-currant aroma and the white grape Sauvignon Blanc is often described as having elements of green peppers. So-far-so-good and as one works ones way through the eight or nine classic grape varieties it is possible to build up a lexicon of language to describe smells and tastes.
In Kenya two things spring to mind related to the development of students wine tasting language. The first is common throughout the world, which is that it is always surprising how many new students are quick to claim that they have, “no sense of smell”. When you dig a little deeper what I normally discover is that either they mean they have an undeveloped sense of smell, at least for the purposes of wine tasting, or, more commonly, they simply lack confidence. Once it has been explained that physiologically it is extremely uncommon for any given person to have a complete permanent lack of a sense of smell and that practice, normally a word what wine tasters love to hear, will quickly improve their ability to describe what they smell then progress is quickly made.
The second thing I notice relates to what I think is a cultural difference. There are many countries throughout the world that obviously do not have a culture or history of wine drinking and Kenya is not unusual in this sense. More unusual is that the wine language based upon associations of fruit and vegetables is often a challenge for Kenyan wine students. This is not because the fruit and vegetables used in most wine aromas wheels are not found in Kenya, in fact Kenya is blessed with pretty well growing anything you might care to mention. The difference maybe that for the average Kenyan they simply have seldom come across what may be considered to be everyday fruits and vegetables. Sniffing and tasting of all sorts of things in our Kenyan wine tasting classes has become a highlight and great fun. Do not be surprised next time you happen to be in a Nairobi market to see a huddle of Kenyans comparing the smells and tastes of the many different mango varieties we get here. Oh yes I have had more than one student tell me that the smell of a fruity South African Chenin Blanc is not the apple mango, but the mangoes one gets from the coast.
One of the tools wine tasting has developed in pursuit of assessment of quality are what are called tasting wheels. They vary in their complexity from the highly detailed such as the ones credited to the University of California at Davis to the less complex such as the Keep it Simple Tasting Wheel commonly abbreviated to KIST. These tasting wheels all endevour to provide a template to enable the taster to link the smell and taste of a wine with standardised associations for any given grape variety. For example, the red grape Cabernet Sauvignon is described as possessing a black-currant aroma and the white grape Sauvignon Blanc is often described as having elements of green peppers. So-far-so-good and as one works ones way through the eight or nine classic grape varieties it is possible to build up a lexicon of language to describe smells and tastes.
In Kenya two things spring to mind related to the development of students wine tasting language. The first is common throughout the world, which is that it is always surprising how many new students are quick to claim that they have, “no sense of smell”. When you dig a little deeper what I normally discover is that either they mean they have an undeveloped sense of smell, at least for the purposes of wine tasting, or, more commonly, they simply lack confidence. Once it has been explained that physiologically it is extremely uncommon for any given person to have a complete permanent lack of a sense of smell and that practice, normally a word what wine tasters love to hear, will quickly improve their ability to describe what they smell then progress is quickly made.
The second thing I notice relates to what I think is a cultural difference. There are many countries throughout the world that obviously do not have a culture or history of wine drinking and Kenya is not unusual in this sense. More unusual is that the wine language based upon associations of fruit and vegetables is often a challenge for Kenyan wine students. This is not because the fruit and vegetables used in most wine aromas wheels are not found in Kenya, in fact Kenya is blessed with pretty well growing anything you might care to mention. The difference maybe that for the average Kenyan they simply have seldom come across what may be considered to be everyday fruits and vegetables. Sniffing and tasting of all sorts of things in our Kenyan wine tasting classes has become a highlight and great fun. Do not be surprised next time you happen to be in a Nairobi market to see a huddle of Kenyans comparing the smells and tastes of the many different mango varieties we get here. Oh yes I have had more than one student tell me that the smell of a fruity South African Chenin Blanc is not the apple mango, but the mangoes one gets from the coast.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
A trip to Scotland with an African Twist
Departing briefly from the Kenyan theme of this blog, but still retaining an African twist here is a story about a recent visit to Scotland. The purpose of the visit was a family celebration of the parent-in-laws sixtieth wedding anniversary. The location was beautiful Loch Tay, Perthshire, and a revisit to the Ardeonaig Hotel. I say revisit because over the last 40 years or more the family has made occasional visits to this idyllic spot. For much of its life the Ardeonaig Hotel was largely a small fishing lodge with pub attached very unassuming and catered for the needs of the fisherman and hill walker. The hotel fell on bad times during the 1990’s and by the early 2000’s was boarded-up and just about derelict.
As coincidence would have it a South African chef based in London at the time and with a keen interest in salmon fishing visited Ardeonaig. To cut a long story short, Pete Gottgens the South Africa chef decided that there was much potential in Ardeonaig and bought the hotel. From 2002 Pete has embarked upon establishing the Ardeonaig Hotel as one of Scotland’s best small hotels a task I can report he and his staff are well on the way to achieving.
The African connections are two fold. First Pete has from the onset encouraged a steady stream of Africans including from Kenya to work at the hotel. In the beginning this was partly prudence as encouraging qualified Scots to locate to this relatively remote spot proved challenging. Also as a proud African himself, Pete very much wanted to encourage and provide opportunities to his comrades from the continent. Pete was born in Durban, but led an exotic childhood with family living in various southern and east African countries as his parents worked in the field of wildlife and conservation. The African connections and themes are very much part of the hotels character enhanced by Pete’s childhood African photographs and pieces of African objet d’art.
The other connection with Africa is Ardeonaig’s extensive collection of South African wines. Pete first developed his love and extensive knowledge of South African wines while based in the Cape and now claims that Ardeonaig has Europe’s largest collection of South African wines. Having watched the collection grow over the last few years I have no reason to disagree with this claim. I for one have never seen so many cases of Sadie Family Wines, voted Winery of the Year in South Africa’s wine “bible” the Platter Guide 2010, in one place, both the iconic red blend Columella and the white blend Palladius, and I have visited the Sadie Family cellar in Swatland! The connection with the Sadie family is a product of the fact that Pete and Eben Sadie, who with his brother Niko make the family wines, are good friends. Pete has now gone further and commissioned Eben to produce for the Ardeonaig Hotel a special cuvee of the, “the best wine he can make” from the Spanish vineyard enterprise Eben has been working on for the last six years. Perhaps even more off-the-wall, Pete has recently planted an experimental patch of vines in the hotel grounds to see whether he can introduce wine making to a part of Scotland not known for oenology. Either Pete is confident of the effects of global warming, or, is just a wee bit optimistic.
As this is a wine blog, I should report on the South African wines we tried during our stay at Ardeonaig. Really good (as ever) was the Villiera Monro Brut a stylish Method Cape Classic made with half Pinot Noir and half Chardonnay. To link with a semi-Scottish theme, we also drank the Iona Sauvignon Blanc partly because it is one of my favourites, but also the estate is owned and run by the Gunn family, who with such a name you will not be surprised to learn have a Scottish ancestry and thus the name of the estate. The other standout was a magnum of Pinot Noir from the Cape Chamonix Wine Farm. There are some that argue that the verdict is still out on whether the Cape produces really world-class Pinot Noir. While I agree Pinot Noir from the Cape is by definition not Burgundian, some including the Chamonix are really fabulous and in general the Cape’s Pinot Noir’s improve with every vintage.
As coincidence would have it a South African chef based in London at the time and with a keen interest in salmon fishing visited Ardeonaig. To cut a long story short, Pete Gottgens the South Africa chef decided that there was much potential in Ardeonaig and bought the hotel. From 2002 Pete has embarked upon establishing the Ardeonaig Hotel as one of Scotland’s best small hotels a task I can report he and his staff are well on the way to achieving.
The African connections are two fold. First Pete has from the onset encouraged a steady stream of Africans including from Kenya to work at the hotel. In the beginning this was partly prudence as encouraging qualified Scots to locate to this relatively remote spot proved challenging. Also as a proud African himself, Pete very much wanted to encourage and provide opportunities to his comrades from the continent. Pete was born in Durban, but led an exotic childhood with family living in various southern and east African countries as his parents worked in the field of wildlife and conservation. The African connections and themes are very much part of the hotels character enhanced by Pete’s childhood African photographs and pieces of African objet d’art.
The other connection with Africa is Ardeonaig’s extensive collection of South African wines. Pete first developed his love and extensive knowledge of South African wines while based in the Cape and now claims that Ardeonaig has Europe’s largest collection of South African wines. Having watched the collection grow over the last few years I have no reason to disagree with this claim. I for one have never seen so many cases of Sadie Family Wines, voted Winery of the Year in South Africa’s wine “bible” the Platter Guide 2010, in one place, both the iconic red blend Columella and the white blend Palladius, and I have visited the Sadie Family cellar in Swatland! The connection with the Sadie family is a product of the fact that Pete and Eben Sadie, who with his brother Niko make the family wines, are good friends. Pete has now gone further and commissioned Eben to produce for the Ardeonaig Hotel a special cuvee of the, “the best wine he can make” from the Spanish vineyard enterprise Eben has been working on for the last six years. Perhaps even more off-the-wall, Pete has recently planted an experimental patch of vines in the hotel grounds to see whether he can introduce wine making to a part of Scotland not known for oenology. Either Pete is confident of the effects of global warming, or, is just a wee bit optimistic.
As this is a wine blog, I should report on the South African wines we tried during our stay at Ardeonaig. Really good (as ever) was the Villiera Monro Brut a stylish Method Cape Classic made with half Pinot Noir and half Chardonnay. To link with a semi-Scottish theme, we also drank the Iona Sauvignon Blanc partly because it is one of my favourites, but also the estate is owned and run by the Gunn family, who with such a name you will not be surprised to learn have a Scottish ancestry and thus the name of the estate. The other standout was a magnum of Pinot Noir from the Cape Chamonix Wine Farm. There are some that argue that the verdict is still out on whether the Cape produces really world-class Pinot Noir. While I agree Pinot Noir from the Cape is by definition not Burgundian, some including the Chamonix are really fabulous and in general the Cape’s Pinot Noir’s improve with every vintage.
Wine in Nairobi: What’s in the Supermarkets?
Kenya is world famous for its wildlife, magnificent scenery, and diverse cultural mix, but not surprisingly given its relative poverty not wine. Wine consumption within a very poor country is as to be expected confined to a tiny minority largely the emerging urban middle classes or tourists. Consequently, Kenya is towards the bottom of the world’s league table for wine consumption, but for those with the wherewithal and bitten by the wine bug there is a surprising range of wine on offer through the country’s main supermarkets.
There are three main supermarket chains that dominate in Kenya: Nakumatt, Uchumi, and smaller, but still significant for wine Chandarana. These three supermarkets dominate and constitute by far the vast majority of retail wine sales in Kenya. Wine can be found as with all African countries in Kenya’s thousands of small shops and markets, which is separate story in itself. A difference between Kenya and Europe and South Africa is that none of the supermarkets import wines directly. Instead, they are supplied by six or seven main wine importing companies, which again is a separate subject.
As you would expect for an African country, South Africa still dominates in terms of volume of wine imported into Kenya at approximately 2.3 million litres of wine a year (see www.sawis.co for more statistics). This places Kenya sixteenth on the world-wide table of natural wine exports from South Africa with only Angola among African countries importing more wines (albeit 5 times the amount imported by Kenya). All the major South African brands can be found on the Kenyan supermarket shelves. These range from the “A’s such as A Few Good Men, Alto, Arniston Bay, and Avondale, through the ‘L’s, La Bri, Land’s End, Leopard’s Leap, and Long Mountain, and onto the ‘Z’s represented by the ubiquitous Zonnebloem, and of course everything else in between.
At the good quality end of South African wines value can be found from the bigger producers such as Nederburg where their Winemaster’s Reserve range of whites from Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, and Riesling can be bought at around Ksh(Kenyan Shillings)750 to Ksh900 (approximately $10 to $12) a bottle. For the Nederburg Winemaster’s Reserve reds Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and the blend Baronne can be bought for around Ksh1,200 to Ksh1,500 ($16 to $20) a bottle.
At a similar price range to the Nederburg range Bellingham, part of the relative giant Douglas Green Bellingham company, enjoys approximately 10% of the Kenyan market for South African wines. Bellingham’s Fusion range such as Cabernet Sauvignon with a splash of Cabernet Franc, or, Shiraz with a splash of Viognier again offers good value. They also offer the clever marketing twist of a single grape varietal with a “splash” to lure the more adventurous wine apprentice to dip their toes into the world of blends. Particularly good value is Bellingham’s multi-award winner Fair Maiden white blend (Roussanne, Chenin, Verdelho, Grenache Blanc, Viognier) and the very good 2008 vintage can be found at selected supermarket in Nairobi for about KSH1,200 to KSH1,400 ($16 to $19) a bottle.
These prices may seem somewhat heavy viewed from the home of these wines in South Africa. However, if you considered the transportation costs and not least the very high tax and duties on wines in Kenya (more about this in a future blog) these retail prices are low particularly given the relative quality. Also from South Africa, but with a Kenyan flavour is the well marketed Mara wine. This wine a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon is made in South Africa and marketed as Mara Nyekundu (meaning red in the Swahili language) and comes resplendent with a beaded amulet around the bottle neck and attractive label. It is soft and fruity and with a price at around Ksh850 (approximately $11) a bottle and is particular popular with tourist who want an “African” flavour to their wine.
After South Africa and very much coming up on the rails so to speak in volume terms of wine sold in Kenya’s is Chile. The story of the Chilean wine production explosion over the last ten years is well known and is now the world’s ninth largest wine producer. Seven out of every ten bottles produced in Chile is exported and these wines can be found taking up every increasing amounts of shelf space in Kenya’s supermarkets. Gato Negro is claimed by some to be the largest selling bottled brand of wine in Kenya and can be bought for around Ksh500 to Ksh550 (approximately $6.50 to $7.50) a bottle. Its popularity is based much on its price, but its easily accessible and fruity style goes down well with Kenyan consumers. Good quality and value can be found through the wines produced by the dominant Chilean wine company Concha y Toro through its brand Casillero del Diablo. There are the full range of these wines on the supermarket shelves from the whites Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Viognier, Riesling, through the reds Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and what has become Chile’s national grape Carmenère. The whites are in the price range of Ksh800 to Ksh900 ($10.50 to $11.00) a bottle and the reds from Ksh1, 250 to Ksh1, 500 ($16.50 to $20) a bottle and in the price-to-quality ratio are the biggest competitors to the better South African wines.
While the New World wine countries dominate in Kenya, there is a broad representation from the Old World wine producers. The big French wine companies and brands are represented through J.P. Chenet complete with bendy-shaped bottles. J. P. Chenet is a wine made by the producer Grands Chais de France, a privately owned French business that is the largest wine exporter in the France. It is marketed almost exclusively abroad, with 64 million bottles sold yearly. The range of J.P. Chenet wines both reds (Merlot and a Cabernet-Syrah blend) and whites (Blanc de Blanc and a Semi-sweet wine) can all be found for between Ksh800 and Ksh850 ($10.50 to $11.50) a bottle. Also from France the Vin de Pays from Piat D’or (a brand from the largest wine company in the world Diageo) most famous in the UK wine retail market, can also be found in Kenya at a slightly cheaper price than the offerings from J.P. Chenet,
Italian wines other than the bulk producers are not that common although Nairobi does have a vibrant Italian community and there is one or two private families that import really high quality and hand selected Italian wines direct (more in a later blog). Spanish wine is less available although Torres Cornas can be found at Ksh1, 275 (about $16) a bottle. Moving back to the New World Australia is well represented through the ever popular Hardy’s brand range of wines and compete at a similar price range to the quality South African and Chilean offerings. Finally, also to be found are Californian wines although these are mostly represented in the form of three and five litre bag offering and what the American’s tend to call “jug” wines. There is nothing wrong with these wines offering good value per litre as they do, but perhaps better as a party or barbeque offering.
There is then an increasingly broad offering of wines through Kenya’s supermarkets. Inevitably the wines on offer are not necessarily the finest examples of the wines available from the respective countries. In general they are part of the worldwide ocean of bulk wines, albeit of sound technical quality, that dominate throughout the world. For the Kenyan consumer the general feeling is one of appreciation that these wines are on offer at all. For the more discerning wine aficionados there are fine wines available from a handful of specialist outlets, which will be the subject of a subsequent blog.
There are three main supermarket chains that dominate in Kenya: Nakumatt, Uchumi, and smaller, but still significant for wine Chandarana. These three supermarkets dominate and constitute by far the vast majority of retail wine sales in Kenya. Wine can be found as with all African countries in Kenya’s thousands of small shops and markets, which is separate story in itself. A difference between Kenya and Europe and South Africa is that none of the supermarkets import wines directly. Instead, they are supplied by six or seven main wine importing companies, which again is a separate subject.
As you would expect for an African country, South Africa still dominates in terms of volume of wine imported into Kenya at approximately 2.3 million litres of wine a year (see www.sawis.co for more statistics). This places Kenya sixteenth on the world-wide table of natural wine exports from South Africa with only Angola among African countries importing more wines (albeit 5 times the amount imported by Kenya). All the major South African brands can be found on the Kenyan supermarket shelves. These range from the “A’s such as A Few Good Men, Alto, Arniston Bay, and Avondale, through the ‘L’s, La Bri, Land’s End, Leopard’s Leap, and Long Mountain, and onto the ‘Z’s represented by the ubiquitous Zonnebloem, and of course everything else in between.
At the good quality end of South African wines value can be found from the bigger producers such as Nederburg where their Winemaster’s Reserve range of whites from Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, and Riesling can be bought at around Ksh(Kenyan Shillings)750 to Ksh900 (approximately $10 to $12) a bottle. For the Nederburg Winemaster’s Reserve reds Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and the blend Baronne can be bought for around Ksh1,200 to Ksh1,500 ($16 to $20) a bottle.
At a similar price range to the Nederburg range Bellingham, part of the relative giant Douglas Green Bellingham company, enjoys approximately 10% of the Kenyan market for South African wines. Bellingham’s Fusion range such as Cabernet Sauvignon with a splash of Cabernet Franc, or, Shiraz with a splash of Viognier again offers good value. They also offer the clever marketing twist of a single grape varietal with a “splash” to lure the more adventurous wine apprentice to dip their toes into the world of blends. Particularly good value is Bellingham’s multi-award winner Fair Maiden white blend (Roussanne, Chenin, Verdelho, Grenache Blanc, Viognier) and the very good 2008 vintage can be found at selected supermarket in Nairobi for about KSH1,200 to KSH1,400 ($16 to $19) a bottle.
These prices may seem somewhat heavy viewed from the home of these wines in South Africa. However, if you considered the transportation costs and not least the very high tax and duties on wines in Kenya (more about this in a future blog) these retail prices are low particularly given the relative quality. Also from South Africa, but with a Kenyan flavour is the well marketed Mara wine. This wine a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon is made in South Africa and marketed as Mara Nyekundu (meaning red in the Swahili language) and comes resplendent with a beaded amulet around the bottle neck and attractive label. It is soft and fruity and with a price at around Ksh850 (approximately $11) a bottle and is particular popular with tourist who want an “African” flavour to their wine.
After South Africa and very much coming up on the rails so to speak in volume terms of wine sold in Kenya’s is Chile. The story of the Chilean wine production explosion over the last ten years is well known and is now the world’s ninth largest wine producer. Seven out of every ten bottles produced in Chile is exported and these wines can be found taking up every increasing amounts of shelf space in Kenya’s supermarkets. Gato Negro is claimed by some to be the largest selling bottled brand of wine in Kenya and can be bought for around Ksh500 to Ksh550 (approximately $6.50 to $7.50) a bottle. Its popularity is based much on its price, but its easily accessible and fruity style goes down well with Kenyan consumers. Good quality and value can be found through the wines produced by the dominant Chilean wine company Concha y Toro through its brand Casillero del Diablo. There are the full range of these wines on the supermarket shelves from the whites Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Viognier, Riesling, through the reds Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and what has become Chile’s national grape Carmenère. The whites are in the price range of Ksh800 to Ksh900 ($10.50 to $11.00) a bottle and the reds from Ksh1, 250 to Ksh1, 500 ($16.50 to $20) a bottle and in the price-to-quality ratio are the biggest competitors to the better South African wines.
While the New World wine countries dominate in Kenya, there is a broad representation from the Old World wine producers. The big French wine companies and brands are represented through J.P. Chenet complete with bendy-shaped bottles. J. P. Chenet is a wine made by the producer Grands Chais de France, a privately owned French business that is the largest wine exporter in the France. It is marketed almost exclusively abroad, with 64 million bottles sold yearly. The range of J.P. Chenet wines both reds (Merlot and a Cabernet-Syrah blend) and whites (Blanc de Blanc and a Semi-sweet wine) can all be found for between Ksh800 and Ksh850 ($10.50 to $11.50) a bottle. Also from France the Vin de Pays from Piat D’or (a brand from the largest wine company in the world Diageo) most famous in the UK wine retail market, can also be found in Kenya at a slightly cheaper price than the offerings from J.P. Chenet,
Italian wines other than the bulk producers are not that common although Nairobi does have a vibrant Italian community and there is one or two private families that import really high quality and hand selected Italian wines direct (more in a later blog). Spanish wine is less available although Torres Cornas can be found at Ksh1, 275 (about $16) a bottle. Moving back to the New World Australia is well represented through the ever popular Hardy’s brand range of wines and compete at a similar price range to the quality South African and Chilean offerings. Finally, also to be found are Californian wines although these are mostly represented in the form of three and five litre bag offering and what the American’s tend to call “jug” wines. There is nothing wrong with these wines offering good value per litre as they do, but perhaps better as a party or barbeque offering.
There is then an increasingly broad offering of wines through Kenya’s supermarkets. Inevitably the wines on offer are not necessarily the finest examples of the wines available from the respective countries. In general they are part of the worldwide ocean of bulk wines, albeit of sound technical quality, that dominate throughout the world. For the Kenyan consumer the general feeling is one of appreciation that these wines are on offer at all. For the more discerning wine aficionados there are fine wines available from a handful of specialist outlets, which will be the subject of a subsequent blog.
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