The Nairobi Wine Festival is an annual event aimed at giving Nairobi wine lovers an exclusive wine tasting experience. The festival was founded in 2018 by Baraka Events and Eatout and has now become an occasion that wine enthusiasts can look forward to every year.
This year’s Nairobi Wine festival was held at the Trade Mark Hotel, Village Market from 5th to 7th July and we were honored to be among the 3000 guests who attended the event. We went on Sunday, the last day of the festival, which was a bit more relaxed than the previous days on Friday and Saturday. We arrived at 12:00 pm to an intriguing welcome from the ladies covered in body paint and drawings of grapes while holding humongous glasses of wine. This was a clear indication that we had indeed arrived at the Nairobi Wine Festival. We kicked off our appearance with pictures to commemorate the day and our love for wine.
We walked around to explore what this year’s festival had to offer. The tickets included 40 wine tastings by different companies, each giving a sample of 2 to 3 wines. Doesn’t that sound like pure heaven? A wine lovers dream! We got our taste buds ready and stopped at several stations to sample the various kinds of wines that were available. Best believe we enjoyed every fill.
If drinking the different types of wine at the event wasn’t enough, there was a wine masterclass where guests were able to learn more about the process of wine making. The masterclass was part of the VIP ticket package and we were privileged to attend a session with a South African sommelier. During the class, we got to learn about different grape varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc and Semillion, and how these varieties are blended to create different flavor pallets in wines. We also learnt about wine barrel treatment and its purpose in wine making, as well as wine decanting; a secret that we will also share with you. Decanting is a way of aerating the wine to bring out the flavor and aroma. You can do this by simply pouring it out in a jug or pouring a little wine in a glass and leaving the rest in the bottle to breath. This little exercise can be done at home and will definitely make your guests appreciate the wine you offer at your house.
After learning the scientific bit of wine making, we also got to see how wine is used in making food through an exciting cook out demonstration. It was a delight to watch the professional chefs as they flipped and rolled their pans to the awe and admiration of everyone present. There were several food stations as well offering gourmet bites to go with the wine. What could be better? We honestly grew attached to the event every minute it went on and never wanted to leave the event.
The mood during the day was calm and groovy but it got a little more hyper and exciting in the evening. There was louder music and our party mode was effectively activated. We got to dance and have more fun until the festival closed at 8:00 pm.
Nairobi Wine Festival 2019 was both enlightening and entertaining, an extraordinary experience that we will highly anticipate in the years to come. To many more! We recommend, all of our readers to go to a Wine Festival event, you wont regret it! It’s worth the money!
