Wine Prices In Kenya

We all love sipping quality wine. The most popular wines in Kenya are red wine and white wine but there are other categories of wine like rose wines, sparkling wines, champagnes, port wines and vermouth wines. Wines can also be categorised as sweet wines, dry wines and semi-sweet wines. Wine is made from the fermentation of grape juice. There are so many types of grapes in the world but only a few grapes that are used to make wine. However, many countries make their own wine because most of the grapes that are used to make wine can be grown in different countries leading to a wide selection of types of wines and wine brands in Kenya. In this article, we will be trying to understand why wine prices in Kenya have no direct relationship with the quality of a wine.

 

Wine is a complex category of alcohol and we need to understand what the term “wine” entails before we dig deeper on quality and price relationship. The following are the major types of wines in Kenya that you can find on the shelves of Nairobi Drinks, an online wine shop.

 

Types Of Wines In Kenya

1.Red wines

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

2.White wines

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

3.Fortified wines

• Port wines
• Vermouth wines

4.Sparkling wines

5.Rose wines

6.Champagnes

 

Wines are categorized as shown above but they can be classified further with the countries from where they are produced. There are clients that are so specific on the country from which the wine is produced. This is because the climatic conditions of any particular country influence the taste of the wine. Some of this conditions include the amount of rainfall, the amount of humidity, the temperature levels, the acidity of the soil and also the additives added during growth of the wine plant. Some of the countries known with the production of wine are; Italy, France, Germany, Australia, South Africa, Chile and Portugal

 

The grapes used to make wine have an impact on both the quality of the wine and also the price of the wine. This is because some grapes are too demanding and require a lot of inputs to grow to maturity. There is also the issue of pest control to ensure the right quality of mature grapes is achieved. The method used to produce the wine also contributes to the price of the wine. The issue of the method is most common when it comes to sparkling wines and champagnes. However, some wine prices are just marketing. The following are the main factors that affect the wines prices in Kenya.

 

Factors Affecting Wine Prices In Kenya

 

Grapes used In Wine Production

There are over 600 types of grapes, however, only a few grapes are used in making wine. The grapes that are used in making wine are ranked from the most superior to the least superior ones. The superior grapes are used in making varietal wines while the less superior ones are used to make wine blends. Varietal wines are those wines that are made from one or two different grapes. Those grapes have their names indicated on the bottle. Wine blends are those wines that are made by blending different grapes to improve flavours and the taste. The superior grapes are those grapes that have a great taste on the palate, awesome flavours and a sweet aroma. On the other hand, the less superior grapes produce lower quality wine. In order to increase the flavours and improve the quality of the wine, several types of grapes are blended together. Don’t be fooled that varietal wines are better than blended wines. It will depend purely on the taste and preference of anyone. For example champagnes, the highest quality wines, are blends made from three superior grapes and four less superior grapes although the three superior grapes are widely used. The following are the three superior grapes used to make champagnes; Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir. The less superior grapes are as follows; Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Arbane, Petit Meslier.

 

The Region In Which Wine Is Produced

Different countries have different climatic conditions and soil conditions. Some of the regions where these grapes are grown are highlands while some are lowlands. This is also another factor that affects the taste and flavour of the grapes. This explains why a particular grape like Cabernet Sauvignon will taste different if grown in two different countries.

 

The Method Of Wine Production

The method used in making red wines, white wines and rose wines is simple, however, the method used in making sparkling wines, champagnes, vermouth wines, port wines and other fortified wines are complex depending on the desired result. Let’s take an example of sparkling wines. These wines can be produced through three different methods; bottle transfer, bulk chamat and methode champenoise (commonly known as tradition method). Of the three methods, bottle transfer and bulk chamat takes less time and are less complex, however, they produce less quality wine in comparison with methode champenoise which produces high-quality wine but it is very complex and takes a longer time. In summary, the methode used to produce wine has a direct influence on the quality of wine and the cost of wine. High-quality wines will cost more than low-quality wines.

 

The Age Of Wine

Most of the wines are not aged but some wines like champagnes, sparkling wines and port wines are aged. These wines improve with age. The more they age, the better the quality but also the higher the price. There are different ways of marking the aged wines. For champagne, they call them vintage, for port wines and other fortified wines they label the bottle with the years it has been aged or use other names like “special reserve”. Besides ageing, all wines except white wines have a longer shelf life and they improve with age. Aged wines are more expensive than non-aged wines because of the techniques involved and also the long time used in production.

 

Wine Flavours (Fortified and Aromatized wines)

Wine flavours are common with fortified wines like port wines, vermouth wines, madeira, marsala, sherry and commandaria wines. These are wines that are made by adding distilled spirit (mostly brandy) to preserve the wine, to add more flavours to the wine and also increase alcohol percentage to between 17% and 20%. The popular fortified wines in Kenya are port wines and vermouth wines. To add more flavours, some fortified wines like vermouth wines, they are aromatized with herbs, spices, natural flavourings and fruits. The whole process of fortifying wines and aromatising wines is a bit complex and requires an expert to achieve the desired results. The expertise and complexity of the whole process of making fortified wines and aromatized wines make them cost more than the other types of wines.

 

In conclusion, there are so many factors that affect the wine prices in Kenya but the few ones mentioned above are the major ones. You should also note that the higher the price of a wine doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good quality. Some prices are purely a marketing strategy of making them look awesome and expensive. Are you a wine connoisseur and want to try a wide all types of wines and wine brands in Kenya? Don’t fret because Nairobi Drinks, an online wine store have you covered with a huge variety of wines to choose from. Dial a wine delivery today to enjoy excellent wine delivery Nairobi. Apart from wines, Nairobi Drinks also stocks other types of alcohol in Kenya like whisky, cognac, brandy, rum, gin, vodka, liqueur, tequila and beers. Whatever type of alcohol you are looking for, Nairobi Drinks is the most suitable online liquor store located in Nairobi CBD that offers fast and free alcohol delivery Nairobi.