Ten wine bottles covered with black cloth and numbered in red sit on a bar counter. In the room adjacent, five Kenyan sommeliers, all female, are sipping and sniffing wine as they train for the World Blind Wine Tasting Championship set to happen in France.
For the first time, Kenya will be represented in the October event, a wine Olympics of some sort, which has attracted 31 countries, most with a long history of grape-growing, with vineyards dating back as far as the 17th century and rich wine-drinking cultures.
The sommeliers, however, say with decades of wine expertise, they are ready to compete on a global stage. “Kenya is known for its athletes, it is time that we are also known for having wine experts,” says Victoria Mulu-Munywoki, the team leader and a celebrated sommelier who has transformed the wine culture locally.
All five sommeliers have studied wine and made it their career.
“The criteria for the selection of this team were people with knowledge of wine and who have a WSET Level 3 qualification. {A high-level qualification for people looking to work in the wine industry or wine enthusiasts},” she says, adding, “the ladies were ready and had the passion.”
Joy Adero Ochola joined Team Kenya because she likes a challenge.
“I’ve been a wine enthusiast for over 10 years now. I’m really excited to be going to France because this opportunity is not just about the five of us. Being invited to compete on such a huge global level shows that we are making an impact in spaces where traditionally we were not looked at as experts,” she says.
Soraiya Ladak is one of the directors of The Wine Shop in Nairobi. Passion for wine runs in her family. They import and distribute it.
“Wine found me. I was doing something different. I was working for the UN, and a pregnancy later I had a very enhanced bouquet and palate which served me well in my wine discovery. I quit and I went fully into wine,” she says.
