Après-ski literally translates to “after ski,” but it is so much more than the things you do after skiing. It’s the feeling of earned relaxation after a strenuous day shredding powder. It’s a carefree happy hour among people who share your love for the mountains. Immediately following the rush of a last run, a cool, crisp beverage tells your brain to unwind as you unbuckle your boots and stretch your sore muscles. It’s a lifestyle, and a glorious one at that.
Kumusha Chenin Blanc ($18) is medium-bodied, bright, and vibrant with tropical fruit, pear, and honey notes. The grapes for this Chenin Blanc come from two vineyards in the Breedekloof Valley, located on the Western Cape of South Africa. It’s perfectly refreshing after a chilly winter’s day of skiing – with or without fresh chèvre!
Kumusha in the Zimbabwean Shona language translates to “your home, roots, or origin.” When world renowned sommelier Tinashe Nyamudoka began making wine in 2017, he did so with the intention of building a brand of wines that would represent and honor their roots with minimal intervention and natural fermentation aimed at letting the terroir (the wine’s origin) shine.
Tinashe left home in Zimbabwe for South Africa to work in hospitality, working his way to head sommelier at The Test Kitchen (TTK) in Cape Town and earning South Africa’s Eat Out Wine Service Award in 2016, while TTK was named Eat Out Wine Restaurant of the Year, for the fifth consecutive year and placed 22nd at the World’s Best Restaurant Awards.
While working at TTK, Tinashe studied up, earning certificates for his WEST level 3, from the Court of Master Sommeliers Europe, and in Wine Business Management from the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business. He continued working at TTK, placing Black-owned wines on the list, until leaving in 2020 to focus on his wine label full time.
He notes the challenges he faced as a Black winemaker in getting his wine onto restaurants’ wine lists:
“With so many Black people holding sommelier positions in South Africa I thought I would have it easy. It was totally the opposite. I felt betrayed. In one instant I was told it will be complicated because you’ve worked here before and they would have to seek permission from the bosses to get my wine listed. It struck me so hard that I set off on a course of introspection. I realised I had no Black-owned wine listed at my restaurant. Why? I realised that we truly needed reverse colonisation. I also felt the pressure of being questioned about why I’m supporting Black and them doubting the quality.”
Tinashe Nyamudoka at JaniceRobinson.com
Kumusha wines feature bottles that Tinashe says he would not only like to drink himself, but wines that, from his experience as a sommelier, are representative of what is leading the way for the style of South African wines.
Find a bottle of his wine today! We found his Chenin Blanc at The Urban Grape, an amazing Boston wine shop that helps consumers support diversity in wine by organizing wines by producer; their website features an impressive BIPOC list!
Cheers!
Witty Pairs 