Like a Fish to Wine

I’ve always been big on legacy and leaving behind something that makes the world a bit better than you found it. After working in the wine industry for close to a decade now, I have carved out a niche where I focus my energies on wine education. I specifically enjoy working on empowering members of the hospitality industry, especially those in far-flung places who come from remote, marginalised communities.

I travel through Kenya quite a lot with the company I work for, Under the Influence, and I stay at very nice lodges, for which I’m so grateful. Now, I am mostly working and interacting with members of the Maasai community. This is so special for me because they couldn’t be more removed from wine and the culture of wine. To see them soak up this information and how this information directly impacts their lives and adds value to them is very powerful and fulfilling.  

After all my years of training, a guy named Paul stands out to me. I met Paul at Angama Amboseli, and our meeting was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Paul, at the time, was in charge of cleaning the Guest Area, and he muscled his way into my training somehow. From the moment he sat down, I could just tell, ‘This is someone who wants to be here badly.’

When I started the classes, there were only about six Angama employees taking part, which was lovely because I could really focus on each student individually. Throughout the two-day course, I could already see he had the passion and curiosity that would take him far. From the start, he was brilliant and incredibly driven, acing all his tests and asking well-thought-out questions.

You can imagine my surprise when I learnt that he had never experienced wine; as in, he had not touched a glass of wine to his lips before this training. To see how he took to it was incredible — it was like a fish to water... or rather, to wine. That, to me, was one of the most memorable moments of my career, finding Paul, a diamond in the rough.

I knew that if we focused a bit of energy on him, he could become a sommelier and be the Maasai community's voice in the sommelier space. Since the training, Paul has been to Nairobi for the Wines of South Africa conference (which he did so well in) and he is now serving and recommending wines to guests at Angama Amboseli under the guidance of the Butler team.

That experience with Paul in Amboseli was incredibly special, not to mention the other wonderful personalities that I met in Amboseli and in the Mara. There are such incredible people in both of the Angama teams and it makes my job as a trainer such a joy. I’m very grateful for the job that I get to do every day and the people that I get to meet through this wonderful, complex and delicious drink.