‘Kumusha comes from my native language, Shona, and it means your roots, your home, or your origin,’ says Tinashe Nyamudoka, proprietor of the own-label brand. There are eight wines in the range, which includes wines from the Swartland, Slanghoek, Sondagskloof and the Western Cape at large. Nyamudoka started Kumusha Wines in 2017 with the assistance of winemaker friend Attie Louw of Opstal.

Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Nyamudoka moved to South Africa in 2008. He got his first break polishing cutlery at The Roundhouse restaurant outside Cape Town. Soon he was promoted to waiter and the love affair with wine began. Following a few stints at other restaurants he was appointed as head sommelier at Africa’s most famous restaurant, The Test Kitchen (which closed in late 2021). He juggled his responsibilities there with judging on both local and international competitions. In 2020, he left in order to focus on Kumusha and other projects.

Notably, Nyamudoka is a member of Team ZIM with three other Zimbabwean sommeliers, and Jancis Robinson MW assisted them with crowdfunding to get them to the 2017 and 2018 World Blind Wine Tasting Championships. In 2018, they finished in 14th place, beating both Team USA and Team UK. The documentary Blind Ambition (Third Man Films, 2021) follows their journey. ‘I’m in a constant pursuit of wines that honour their origins,’ Nyamudoka says. ‘We use minimal intervention winemaking to let the wine be free to do the talking.

Decanter, March 2022

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