Types Of Wines In Kenya

Do you know the types of wines in Kenya? There are so many categories of wines depending on the country where the wine is produced, the method of production used and the types of grapes utilized. Different wines are enjoyed at different times and for different reasons. In this article we will explore all the wines in Kenya and the difference among them. The best way to understand wines is to ask ourselves a few questions.

What Are The Most Popular Types Of Wines In Kenya?

Most people are conversant with only red wine types and white wines. However, there are so many categories of wines as follows;

1. Red Wines – known for its compatibility with a wide variety of food. Red wines have a higher concentration of tannins and they feel heavy on the palate. These type of wines are made from dark grapes hence they tend to have a colour varying from purple to dark red. Red wines are better enjoyed at room temperature and they benefit from longer shelf life. Some health benefits of red wine include cholesterol control, heart health and cancer prevention.
2. White Wines – these are another category of wine that is very popular. It is mostly used for refreshments due to its low alcohol content and low concentration of tannins. White wines are made from grapes that range from green to yellow. However, white wines can be made from dark grapes if you first peel the skin before crushing and fermentation. Unlike red wines, white wines are better enjoyed while chilled. The only known health benefit of white wine is improved glucose control.
3. Rose Wines – These type of wines is commonly known from their pinkish colour. They share most of their characteristics with red wine only that they low in tannins and feels a bit lighter on the palate in comparison with red wines. The huge similarity of rose wines and red wines is because most of the time rose wines are made from the same grapes that make red wines but they have skin removed after crushing before fermentation. Rose wines are known to be romantic wines and can also be paired with light meals.
4. Fortified Wines – These are delicious and viscous wines that are added distilled spirit mostly brandy to increase their alcohol percentage and also to increase the flavours. Actually, these are the wines with highest alcohol content in Kenya. Most of these wines are aged to let the spirit marry perfectly with the distilled spirit. There are several types of fortified wines in Kenya but the common ones are Port Wines and aromatized vermouth wines. Fortified wines are some times classified wrongly as liquors which are mostly the case when it comes to vermouth, however, this is wrong because fortified wines are not distilled. The process of producing these wines is similar to the process of producing other wines and the only processes that are added are fortification and ageing. Fortified wines can either be sweet or dry wines but that depends on the amount of time the wine is allowed to ferment before being fortified. Unlike other wines that are recommended to be enjoyed chilled or at room temperatures, fortified wines are can either be enjoyed chilled or at room temperature depending on personal preferences and the type of fortified wine.
5. Port Wines – These are fortified wines that are produced in Portugal. Red port wines are the most common ones, however, there are also white port wines. Just like the other red wines, red port wines are best enjoyed at room temperatures.
6. Vermouth wines – These wines are produced in Italy and are known for making of cocktails. The most common vermouth wine brands in Kenya are Martini Rosso, Martini Bianco, Martini extra dry, Cinzano Rosso and Cinzano Bianco. Should you be planning to prepare any cocktails, be sure to buy vermouth wines as one of your key ingredients.
7. Sparkling Wines – These are bubbly wines that are used for celebrations due to their popping characteristics. Unlike other wines, sparkling wines undergo two fermentation processes. There are three methods of producing sparkling wines which include the traditional method, bulk chamat and bottle transfer method. Out of the three, the traditional method which is better known as ‘methode champenoise’ produces the highest quality wine. This method is tedious and requires great experience and time hence the wine produced through it are quite expensive. On the other hand, bulk chamat is a method that is used for mass production of sparkling wines but their quality is a bit lower. These make all the sparkling wines that are made from bulk chamat to be cheaper.
8. Champagne – These are sparkling wines that are produced in the Champagne region in France. They are only produced from three types of grapes; Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The method utilized in the production of champagnes is the traditional method. Champagnes are categorised into two; vintage Champagnes and non-vintage Champagnes.

Which Are The Most Popular Types Of Red wine?

There are so many grapes that produce red wine but only a few of them are popular in Kenya. The type of grapes used in production largely contributes to the wine prices in Kenya. Some grapes The following are the most popular red wine grapes.

Popular Red Wine Grapes In Kenya

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Merlot
• Shiraz / Syrah
• Pinotage
• Malbec
• Zinfandel
• Pinot Noir
• Cabernet Franc (Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot)
• Baronne (Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz)

Which Are The Most Popular Types Of White Wines?

White grapes are very popular because they are ones used to produce champagnes. The colour of white wines can be very confusing because they are produced from all types of grapes. When white wines are produced from dark grapes, the skin of the grape must be peeled off before crushing and fermentation. The following are the popular white grapes in Kenya.

Popular White Grapes in Kenya

• Chardonnay
• Sauvignon Blanc
• Riesling
• Moscato
• Chenin Blanc
• Pinot Grigio
• Pinot Gris

 

 

Difference Between Various Types Of Wines?

There are so many wine brands in Kenya but the question is, what is the difference between wines? As we mentioned above, wines are alcoholic drinks that are made from the fermentation of grape juice. The following factors are the one that brings the difference in all wines in Kenya;

1. Types of grapes – the grapes used in the production of wine determines the types of wine produced, quality of the wine, wine prices and colour of the wine. The quality of wines is influenced by so many factors but the major one is the quality of the grapes. Wines can be categorized into two depending on the quality of the grapes used in production; varietal wines and wine blends. Varietal wines are those wines that are made from one or two superior grapes. The names of those grapes must be indicated on the bottle. Wine blends are those wines that are made by blending several less superior grapes to enhance the flavours of the wine. Some grapes are hard to grow and require a lot of attention which transpires to a higher cost of the produced wines. The colour of the grapes determine the type of wine produced; dark grapes produces red wines or rose wines while greenish to yellowish grapes produces white wines and champagnes. Other categories of wines like port wines, sparkling wines, vermouth wines and non-alcoholic wines can be produced from both dark grapes and those grapes whose colour ranges from greenish to yellowish.
2. Method of production - this is more crucial when it comes to sparkling wines and champagnes. These two types of wines are bubbly drinks which get their carbonation from double fermentation. There are three methods for carrying out the double fermentation but the first fermentation process is the same for all the three processes. The second fermentation process is the ones that determine the quality of the wine, the expertise requires and how long the process will take. A quality sparkling wine or champagne has a finer mousse. The quality of fortified wines is also affected by the production method and the number of years the wine has been aged.
3. The country of wine production – A Cabernet Sauvignon grape-based wine produced from two different countries will taste differently. The following are the factors that affect the quality wine;

• climatic conditions – these include factors like sunlight, rainfall, temperature and humidity.
• Soil conditions – the acidity and alkalinity of the soil affects the taste of the grapes. Also the type of soil e.g cray soil, loam soil and sand soil
• viticultural practices – these include practices like pruning, canopy management and the method of harvesting (manual harvesting or mechanical harvesting)

What Are The Best Brands Of Wine?

This question is very popular mostly when it comes to wine novices. Unfortunately, there is no direct answer to this question and that’s why people keep going for wine tasting to do a comparison between different wines. However, there are some wines that are associated with romance, ladies, Christmas, road trips, Valentine, graduation and many other events. In such a case, we can single out some wines as the best brands of wine for that particular event. In other words, suitability of a particular bottle of wine will completely depend on the occasion.  

 

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