​Champagne! A wine so exquisite that it has thousands of stories written about it. Unfortunately for us, not all of them are true. A lot of the tales are fanciful but that is to be expected from this fantasy inspiring bubbly. One thing we cannot debunk is the deliciousness and elegance of Champagne, but there are one or two myths that we can shed light on.
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MYTH 1: 'Champagne' was invented in France
Champagne WASN'T 'invented' or 'discovered' in France!
It was invented in ENGLAND where merchants purchased flat wine from France and added molasses to referment it. They also developed the strong coal fired glass bottles, and corks to hold the product . What is called the Methode Champenoise was first written in down in England in 1662. No wonder; they are at this time, still the largest importer of Champagne globally.

MYTH 2: Dom Perignon invented/ discovered Champagne
Nope (see above)! What he did do is devise the blending of grape varieties and he DID invent the wire cage (muselet) that keeps the cork in firmly. Also, the famous exclamation "Come quickly, I am drinking the stars" or any other variation, wasn't uttered by him. This is from an ad campaign in the late 19th century; Dom P died in 1715.

MYTH 3: The Champagne saucer or coupe was fashioned from a mould of Marie Antoinette's breast
Wrong again. It was first manufactured in 1663 (in England AGAIN!). Marie A's reign was from 1774-1793.

The lies! The lies!

But, let me leave you with a little morsel of an interesting fact. The bubbles we love and admire in fizz would not be possible in a smooth perfectly clean glass. It is the microscopic specks of dirt and lint that allow bubbles to form. So dirt is the real hero of this story...

Cited source: The Book of General Ignorance by John LLoyd and John Mitchinson.

It’s that time of the year again. The time we all gather under the WOSA umbrella of wine. This time, we’re back at The Radisson Blu Hotel in Upperhill.
If you are not in the know, here’s a small recap… Every year since 2016, the Wines Of South Africa- a non profit South African organization aimed at promoting wine for export- holds a two prong event in Kenya. Barring 2020 when Covid locked us all down. And even then, WOSA captained by Wanjiru Mureithi and Matome Mbatha engaged us with regular social webinars where we met virtually with producers and other wine industry professionals to drink Chenin, Pinotage and Cap Classique.
The first leg of the event is an all day educational event where, in a structured environment, one learns about wine and especially South African wine and its terroir. This is essential for anyone that works in the hospitality industry and would like to bolster their continuous education.
The second, the fun one - ahem- is a 3 to 4 hour cocktail event aimed at and attended by people in the wine trade (importers, distributors, sommeliers, bar and restaurant owners you get the gist).
There, you are all caught up!

All jokes aside, this evening event while more relaxed than the former is quite the important one. The setup consists of an exhibition of wines from different suppliers both currently in the market and those looking to break in. This is where choices are made by decision makers based on actual experience of the wines.
New exhibitors get the opportunities to present and receive feedback on their offering and also to make important contacts to import their wine into Kenya. For those suppliers already in the market, like the Wine Shop and Viva Global, it presents an avenue to remind consumers of their current holdings and ensures that they are top of mind when wine purchases are being made.

In a world that is getting ever so smaller, and with imports of wine coming in from every region of the wine producing world, it is a very crucial role that WOSA plays in ensuring that South African wine does not get overshadowed. I personally appreciate the effort put in. As Kenya keeps growing as a wine consuming market, it is encouraging to see that the producers, importers and WOSA put as much stock in us as we do in them.
The South African government along with WOSA has put its money where its mouth is and is really supporting the growth of the wine industry locally. In fact, with the quality wine on display, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend or even stock South African wine.

And, of course ,it is our little industry reunion, so I’ll leave you with more pictures. Next time you reach for a glass of wine, make it a ripe Chenin or crisp Cap Classique from south Africa. And think of me, your wine friend. Bajabule!