Wine Tasting with Wine Lovers Kenya at Two Grapes

Wine tasting is one of my favourite activities. Nairobi has become a wine lovers heaven with plenty of tastings, festivals and events celebrating wine.

One of the new kids on the block is Wine Lovers Kenya, a community for wine enthusiasts, that has been hosting monthly events. Most of the events have been peer wine reviews that see wine enthusiasts bring bottles of wine and rank them. It’s an easygoing, fun and educational wine appreciation forum.

This time however, Wine Lovers Kenya decided to do something different and had a wine tasting at a restaurant where we got to rank the place on ambiance, food and of course, wine. The peer reviews are usually free because you bring the wine, but this had a cover charge of Ksh 1,500 that covered the wine and some bitings.

The Wine Lovers Kenya wine tasting was at Two Grapes, a cozy spot on George Padmore road in Kilimani. It’s been open just a few months, but I’ve heard good things about it, and I was not disappointed. It really is aesthetically pleasing, with a rustic charm about it, and a perfect place for dates, chill hangouts with friends or birthday dinner.

We were 20 wine lovers at the tasting and it was quite an enjoyable evening. The four wines featured were:

Freschello Bianco Winemakers Blend (2018, Italy)

This white wine from Freschello, the best-selling wine in Italy, is a blend of Garganega and Trebbiano grapes. It’s lively on the palate, with fresh notes of guava and lemon and a hint of honey. I gave it a 2.5/5.

La Bastille Cabernet Rose (2017, France)

This rosé from the South of France is subtle and fruity, with white floral notes and hints of strawberry and redberry. I gave it a 3.5/5.

Luis Felipe Edwards Malbec (2018, Chile)

This malbec has aromas of blackberries, plums and bright berry fruit, with pleasing acidity and appealing dark cherry fruit and chocolate flavours. This was easily my favourite of the night. I gave it a 4/5.

Freschello Cuvee Extra Dry (2018, Italy)

This fresh and fruity Italian sparkling wine is made from Garganega grapes using the Charmat method. It was a decent sparkling wine and I gave it a 3/5.

We had platters of food that included generous portions of fries, chicken wings and skewers. The wine selection was good and the pricing is fine starting from Ksh 2200. I’d give Two Grapes a 4.5/5 on ambiance, a 4 on wine selection and a 4 on food.

I cant wait for the next peer review and wine tasting and of course, to meet and mingle with more wine lovers. Cheers!