Wine is often enjoyed in social settings, such as family gatherings, celebrations, and dinners. It is often considered a classy drink and your knowledge of wine can help spark connection and conversation.

But let me ask you, other than Four Cousins and Fourth Street, what other wine do you know? Don’t Google it, I’ll wait… and do you know whether it’s good wine or not?

In Nakuru, it is clear that most people don’t know their wines, and most importantly, we don’t have a wine-drinking culture. Bummer, right?

Henry Akhonya, manager at Culture Mambo, acknowledges Nakuru's lack of a wine-drinking culture noting that most people are into other liquor.

According to him, those who order wine are usually light drinkers or people who don’t prefer hard liquor or are beginners in the drinking game.

"Most customers order the popular brands, and the numbers aren’t high. Some only ask for wine because they’ve heard about it within their social spaces," he adds.

Henry points out that it’s easy to spot a customer who knows their wine, most of the time, who is commonly a foreigner.

He notes that this has also influenced how much wine they keep in stock, as demand is generally low from the frequent customers.

Ian Chasimba from Space Next Door echoes similar sentiments, noting that it’s rare for revelers to order wine, and when they do, it’s usually one of the common brands.

“Some of the people order wine as a trial or as a light liquor and it's very common to find some asking for whatever is available," he says

Chasimba also mentions that wine often sits on the shelves much longer compared to other alcohol adding that in Nakuru, wine is frequently purchased as a gift for birthdays or celebrations, with buyers sometimes choosing the most expensive bottle without knowledge about different wine types.

In a bid to change this culture, some of the hotels in Nakuru have turned to hosting wine tasting parties, as a forum to teach the wine drinking culture.

Wine lovers toast during the wine tasting event at Waterbuck hotel on October 12, 2024.

Photo credit: MUTHONI WANJIKU/MTAA WANGU

Speaking to Mtaa Wangu at one such event, Carol Kinyanjui shared that they hosted a wine-tasting event to help introduce and cultivate a wine culture in Nakuru, since most wine lovers travel to Nairobi for these experiences.

According to her, the event that was held at Waterbuck hotel had a surprising turnout, indicating a growing interest in good wine within Nakuru.

“The turnout was fantastic, proving that there’s a strong interest in wine culture here. Nakuru’s hospitality industry should host more events like this,” Carol says.

The slowly brewing wine culture in Nakuru city

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Muthoni Wanjiku