It is undeniable that Nairobi loves to drink. The city lifts its glasses with the zeal of a place forever toasting something. Birthdays, promotions, resignations, long weekends, and short marriages.
For decades, beer has held the throne and whiskey ran its course. Meanwhile, wine has lingered in the shadows, always ignored in restaurant and bar menus. But this is likely to change as wine producers are juicing up their brands in Nairobi.
This week, the Wines of South Africa (WoSA) organized a tasting event in the city designed to seduce the curious palates of the middle class. The message was clear: wine is a lifestyle that can drench every dusk.
“We’ve been doing groundwork here for over 10 years. Kenya is not just part of our strategy; it is our strategic focus,” WoSA Africa Market Manager, Matome Mbatha said.
The Nairobi showcase this week had all the hallmarks of a diplomatic mission disguised as a lifestyle event. Masterclasses were held. Varietal pods were sampled. Pinotage, once the punchline of wine snobs, was served out like diluted tea in a burial. There were food pairings. There were influencers.
WoSA’s charm offensive is no mere marketing fling but the culmination of a long, deliberate courtship. Kenya has become a model market: the wine market is expected to balloon past US$ 1.5 billion by 2030. Kenyans with disposable income are no longer content with discount bottles. They are becoming connoisseurs. They’re asking for Chenin Blanc by name, experimenting with Cap Classique, and signing up for wine certification courses after office hours.
Wine sales are growing: not because more people are drinking, but because the same people are drinking smarter, pricier, and with Instagram-ready panache. The consumption remains steady at 8,000 metric tons annually since 2019.
“We want people to approach wine with appreciation, understanding, and responsibility. This is about positioning wine not just as a product, but as a lifestyle that deserves respect and knowledge,” Mbatha said.
WoSA brought more than wine, they also brought education. Online certification courses. Training for sommeliers. All these efforts are designed to build grassroots expertise among hospitality professionals and wine-loving consumers alike. Aspiring to strengthen a microculture of lawyers-turned-wine-buffs, the organization intends to dethrone whiskey in this urbane niche.
South African bottles, with their balance of sophistication and familiarity, offer a passport to that imagined refinement. WoSA is positioning itself as mentors of viticulture, not in an altruistic drive, but to profit from increased sales of wines such as Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinotage. These wines are mainly sold by local distributors such as Domaine KE, Wine Router, Under the Influence, The Wine Shop, and Wow Bev.
South African wines like Nederburg and Four Cousins have long held a quiet but fairly known place on Kenyan shelves but marked their presence in weddings, anniversaries, and the occasional dinner parties. Kenyans have a loyal attachment to local beer brands and South African brews like Castle Lager have failed to dethrone EABL’s froth. Therefore, the country has sniffed out a quieter frontier: wine culture. A lifestyle of Mediterranean extraction that Kenyan brands cannot satisfy.
With the Africa Continental Free Trade Area slowly removing the friction of borders, the hope is that Cape Town cabernets will land just as easily in Kampala, Kigali, or Lagos. The organization speaks of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) with wide-eyed faith that it will open up borders for more wine flows. Perhaps, even cheapen the product.