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Kundai Marunya Lifestyle Correspondent
A shot left after the toll-gate along Harare-Mutare highway, some 40 or so kilometres from the capital lies a haven of beauty.
A drive on the bumpy dusty road leading to Bushman Rock safaris, is devoid of lustre. What with the ribs of the gravel road?
A spacely covered land, with streams of sand running on both sides. Soil erosion is evident, maybe due to deforestation.
Fine dust, wafts after your vehicle, eventually caking on the back windscreen, much to your chagrin.
The drive may not be pleasant, but what awaits at Bushman Rocks is a magnificent beauty that lives one yearning for a drink, thankfully the lavish scenery comes complimented by a wine estate.
From polo fields, to grapevines, a bit of wildlife, to singing birds, the estate is a dream environment to relax that lies within the picturesque Nyamasanga River Valley.
From their famous vineyards established in the 1930s they make different types of red wines including, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot Pinotage, Syrah, Alicante and Bouschet.
Their white wine selection include Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Chardonnay and Viognier.
This is a dream destination for a wine connoisseurs and beginners alike.
One would wish for the local industry to have such richness in the variety of each brand, but then again, these vineyards were passed down generations.
We, however, have a number of budding vintners with promising brands that are already gaining popularity.
These include Caroline Madziwa, of Rwendo wines. Growing up on a farm, Madziwa fell in love with agriculture, leading her to pursue it at tertiary level.
“After studying Agriculture at Blackfordby College of Agriculture in Mazowe, I decided I wanted to do farming with a difference, so through research and help from one good brother of mine Joseph Dhafana I ended up at Cape Wine Academy,” she said.
After her tenure at the wine academy, though not finding it easy in a male and white dominated industry and capital intensive industry, she founded Rwendo Wines.
Instead of giving up on her dream, Madziwa approached a Capetown based wine estate with a proposal to rent their vineyard and use their equipment, and now she stands as a testament that anything is possible.
Rwendo has been making inroads to dominate the local market.
“Our brand thrives on community involvement. We have gotten support from friends, family, acquaintances and sommeliers,” said Madziwa.
“We also market at networking events (sip and wine), through which one can easily connect and partner with other businesses.”
Rwendo recently got a well-deserved endorsement in Victoria Falls.
“We recently launched our brand at Victoria Falls Hotel where our wines are now being sold,” said Madziwa.
For Mosi Wines, it took its founder Joseph Tongai Dhafana’s fascination with vineyards, and willingness to learn to add another brand on the local catalogue.
“I was a gardener in Riebeek Kasteel Town near Cape Town. This place is surrounded by vineyards.
“Having grown up in Chirumhanzu where there was one wild vine at a place called Chenhika, I was quite fascinated and wanted to know more about the vines,” said Dhafana.
From being a gardener, Dhafana worked as a barman and waiter, raising through the ranks to become a sommelier.
“I asked Roger Clayton, a good friend who is also a winemaker, if I could make one barrel under his mentorship,” he said.
“The rest is history.”
It was not any easy road for Dhafana working elsewhere and managing his own brand.
He eventually had to leave his day job and fully focus on the wine business.
Dhafana has a great trail of successes in the wine business. These include being named third best wine taster in South Africa in 2015 and subsequently representing that country at a blind wine tasting World Cup in France
He founded team Zimbabwe, which went to France to compete in the world championships and was the captain for two years.
These have drawn assurances of the quality of Mosi, setting it out to be among some of the most sought after wines both in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Dhafana dreams to one day open a winery in Zimbabwe but he believes a lot needs to be done to grow the local industry.
“I dream to set up at home but there is a massive investment is needed. It’s not just the winery needed but the land should be the talking point,” he said.
“There is also need to educate consumers and cultivate a wine culture if we are to grow the industry.”
Another highly visible local brand is Kumusha Wines.
Kumusha’s road to success comes with years of its founder Tinashe Nyamudoka great experiences as a sommelier at several upmarket restaurants in South Africa.
He currently works as head sommelier at Cape Town’s world class restaurant, The Test Kitchen.
“The first wine I blended was with The Test Kitchen in mind. When it launched, it grew. I saw my trading gene just getting stronger,” he said.
Today, Kumusha Wines encompasses five wines; a white, a red, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz and Merlot.
From the get go, Nyamudoka intended to market to the untapped African market.
“I see myself as the bridge to new opportunities for the industry. The European market is saturated and I’m not that excited if my wine is served in the top restaurants because my people are not eating there.
“There is a wine and food evolution coming. I see an African phenomenon where we get our mothers who knew how to prepare food the right way, to collaborate with the same chefs and we share it via pop-up restaurants and empty spaces to let,” he said.
“I want to sell a million bottles in Africa. I want to change lives. I want to motivate people. I want to be an example for others of what is possible.”
To achieve his dreams Nyamudoka has been studying a lot about wine thus completed his South African Wine and Certificate Wine courses in 2010 and in 2013 his Wines of the World and Wine and Food courses.
He also holds a Wine Business Management certificate through the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business, Diploma at the Cape Wine Academy together with a Wine Judging Certificate from the Michael Fridjhon Academy.
In 2017 he completed his Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) level 3 certificate through the International Wine Education Centre and is currently completing a B Com in Accounting.
Online Reporter