The Perfect Pairing

At Angama, we have wine for everybody. The wine menu has been carefully curated to cater to every palate, with wines from across the world. Each wine has the perfect time and place on your safari and it’s my pleasure to select the perfect ones for you. 

What you drink can greatly impact your stay with us so it’s important that we help achieve the right balance between flavours, aromas and texture to complement your food, safari and fun. We make a point to learn each guest’s preferences before recommending wines but, after visiting a variety of vineyards of the wines we serve, as well as eight years of experience serving Angama guests, I have chosen these wines that most guests will enjoy during their stay with us.     

On Safari

There are many opportunities for a ‘wine moment’ on safari. My favourite is an MCC for a picnic breakfast celebration. It could be anything from a birthday to simply being out in the Mara, life’s too short not to celebrate! A lunch picnic is also always a good idea, as Chef Hudson prepares your meal with delicious sandwiches along with fresh salads — and followed by Kina’s famous brownies. If it’s a beautiful sunny day in the Triangle, the Chenin Blanc, which is light and fresh, would go well with what the chefs have lovingly prepared for your picnic. The Chenin will season your meal without overwhelming it and the wine's medium body will be refreshing on a warm day.   

Shamba Lunch

If you haven’t gone for a picnic in the Mara, the Shamba is a beautiful spot to have your lunch. Here, we serve hand-picked salads right from the garden to the table, accompanied by a delicious cheese board, freshly baked bread and a roast chicken (among other things). With all these fresh ingredients, we recommend a rosé wine, which has its own fruity aromas and goes well with salads.

We have two rosés at Angama, the Grier and Cederberg. Each is as good as the other, but my favourite is the Cederberg because it is light, fresh and versatile — complementing everything from the crisp lettuce to the savoury chicken. Rosé is meant to be a wine to create memories and enjoy the good times, and this is exactly what the Shamba is all about.

Tented Suites

Guests are usually in their tents between meals and after game drives so this is a nice time to relax in private. With this in mind, I would recommend a refreshing and easy-drinking wine. In your fully-stocked armoire fridge, you will find Iona Sauvignon Blanc — one of our favourite white wines — which is delicate and balanced while still having a nice long finish.

It's the ideal choice to help you unwind and slow down. If you’re needing a bite in the afternoon, Iona goes well with the roasted and spiced macadamia nuts found in your tent that the chefs make just for you.

Forest BBQ

On one of your evenings with us, you might have dinner at our Forest BBQ. This is a beautiful setup in a forest near the lodge where lanterns light up the evening as you dine outside. Served family-style, this meal is very relaxed. Mouthwatering flame-grilled prawns, fish, chicken and rib-eye steak are some of the options to choose from and we make sure to complement these delicious smoky flavours.

My suggestion would be a full-bodied red for the red meat such as the Belfield Syrah with strong flavours of blackberry and plum. For those going for seafood, kuku (chicken) or vegetarian options, I would once again recommend the Iona Sauvignon Blanc. Its palate highlights green apple and pear and follows with a minerality that would complement the cooking style as well as the ambience of the place.

That might be the end of the day — or maybe you’ll enjoy another glass back in the Guest Area — but don’t worry, there are a number of other experiences that can feature wine if you like. Each wine has a story to tell and can enhance the experience as you make your own stories.