A wine experience like no other

There are very few dedicated wine bars in Nairobi – or Kenya, for that matter.

There is the one wine bar which has received prestigious awards, but I have always found the service there so lacking in efficiency and knowledge that to me, WWW Shop & Bar is almost a first for me.

It is very accessible and without an iota of snobbery; Philippe, the owner and host, welcomes everyone with a warm smile and puts newcomers at ease by explaining the concept of his bar and how to order.

The shelves at WWW Shop & Bar are stocked high with over eighty wines to choose from.

There are wines from the new world: South Africa, Chile, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and USA, and some from the old world like France, Spain and Italy.

I particularly like the fact that they also stock Kenyan wines from Leleshwa. But if wine is not the drink of your choice then they also offer fine quality cocktails, spirits, whiskies, cognac, rums and even sake.

If you are a novice to wine, trust in sommelier Flavie’s suggestions. If you know your wines and have a particular type you like, seek the advice of Philippe or Flavie and try ones that you may not have heard of.

Even if you are a wine expert you are bound to find some that you may not have tasted; should that happen, enjoy the experience and share your thoughts with the pair of them as they are always open to comments and suggestions so as to serve their clients better.

If you want to improve your wine tasting abilities then ask them for their wine tasting sessions at the back room, which comes complete with a smelling kit and all the necessary paraphernalia.

What I like about the place is that I always find a red or white wine to suit my mood, and on days when I want to really try something new and challenge my senses, I try their tastings.

Wines tasting here comprise three different wines of the same grape variety, and you get 50 ml of each.

Philippe pours each of them without revealing the label and lets you judge them according to appearance, nose and pallet before discussing their origins and true characteristics.

It is great fun and there is always room to learn a lot more than you already know. Over and above the wine experience there is also a great gastronomic journey awaiting you at WWW Shop & Bar.

To compliment their wines are platters of cold cuts served with marinated olives, chutneys and pickled onions, and cheese platters (of which you have a choice of hard, soft, blue or mixed) served with nuts, green apples and assorted chutneys.

You may also try their smoked fish platter. For smaller bites you can have homemade samosas stuffed with fresh brie and parma ham, lemon prawns and soya bean sprouts, lamb and potatoes, or veg, served with homemade sweet chilli sauce.

But if it is slightly substantial fare you crave then they also have soups and salads. This month’s main attraction is their selection of gourmet burgers.

And, having come to an understanding with the Phoenician restaurant next door, they now offer their customers sushi.

To end a perfect evening you must try one of the desserts; my favourite is their version of mille feuille – crisp layers of pastry stuffed with strawberries and light cream.

I do have one complaint--Their ambience. They invested so heavily in a grand setup with expensive fittings, furniture and glassware, yet the ambience is jarred by harsh lighting from the mall corridor.

They really must do something to cut off the clinical lighting from the sitting area of sofas and low tables.

Besides being a wine bar, they are also a shop. Most wines can be drank at their venue or bought at 60 per cent of the bar price to take home.

They also have a heavily stocked delicatessen section with an impressive selection of imported cheeses as well as boutique cheeses from Brown’s and an array of cold cuts, smoked fish and olives.

They also have a cigar corner, a library on wines and whiskies, wine accessories and coolers.

WWW Shop & Bar is not a cheap place by any standards but the service and information is a great value-add over mere consumption of wine and food.