Five Women to Represent Kenya in Wine Tasting Championship in France

Kenya is set to participate in the Olympics of Wine also known as the World Blind Tasting Championship for the first time since its inception in 2013.

Five Kenyan women—Joy Adero, Melissa Mwende, Soraiya Ladak, Beverly Mbaika and Victoria Mulu-Munywoki—will represent the country in the championship scheduled for October 7th and 8th in Champagne Ayala, France.

The five have been fine-tuning their smell and tasting skills in daily rehearsals at at De Vries Africa Venture in Nairobi where they sample a minimum of 12 wines per session. 

They are being supported by importers due to the high price of the drink. The price for most good wines ranges between Sh3,000 and Sh200,000 depending on how it was made and the age, among other factors.

In the competition, participants are required to blindly sip and spit different types of wine then write down their country of origin, grape type, producer, among other features.

There are six white wines and six reds, and the contest often starts with a sparkling wine and ends with a sweet one.

The World Blind Tasting Championship, which is organized by La Revue du Vin de France, was launched following the European Wine tasting championship in 2013. It brings together more than 30 countries from around the world to showcase their skills.

“It is the ultimate test of taste and smell. Twelve glasses will be lined up before each of us, half of them with red wine of different kinds and the other half with white wines,” Beverly told Business Daily.

The five Kenyan sommeliers have gone through the Wine and Spirit Education Trust program, a four-level international qualification for wine professionals and enthusiasts.

Joy, a restaurant owner and a wine connoisseur, said: “The challenging bit is that one type of grape such as Cabernet Sauvignon that is grown in France, South Africa and Australia tastes different because of the climate conditions of that area. There are also differences when it is handpicked or by machines. Such a skill is grown over a long time and exposure to different brands all over the world.”

“It is the skin of the grape. Red wine gets its colours from fermentation done together with the red grape skins. White wine is made out of grapes that are skinned. Meanwhile, Rosé is a lighter version of red wine where the skins are fermented with the wine for a shorter period than in red winemaking.”

The five Kenyans believe their participation in this competition will put Kenya in a different league in the world of wine.

“It will be a testament to the fact that the wine industry in Kenya is taking firm root and growing, not only in terms of purchase but also in the discernment and appreciation of good wine as an aspirational lifestyle,” says Victoria.