The slump in wine sales in erstwhile high-performance and promise-filled markets is leading many wine professionals to pivot to other export destinations, including Africa. As they embark on their journey into the continent’s uncharted territory for wine, they would do well to encounter Bordeaux-based Chinedu Rita Rosa, one of its most driven facilitators of conversations between importers and producers.
If you were asked to picture the face of the global wine industry going forward, Chinedu Rita Rosa would be a strong contender. Black, female, a passionate advocate for inclusivity and diversity within the wine industry, but also a born entrepreneur, Rosa, aka ‘ChiChi’, encapsulates all the qualities the global wine industry should aspire to. Though based in arguably the wine world’s most tradition-bound region, she is doing her utmost to break the mould in a bid to promote business – and pleasure – between the newly-minted wine markets of Africa and global wine producers. Her activities at Vines by Rosa span the consultancy spectrum, providing two-way support for global exporters – mostly French, Italian and Californian – and African importers. As she stresses, “when you work in the African space, you have to be very flexible, it can’t all be about Grand Cru or, conversely, entry-level wines”. But there is one through-line that has enabled her to break down some of the barriers to accessing the markets of Africa - and shatter industry misconceptions – and it stems from her time spent at her late husband’s wine store in Lagos, Nigeria, in the late 2000s. “Pairing Nigerian and African food with wines from all over the world was a real eureka moment for me and has been very successful. There is such a high level of umami in our food here that makes pairing it with, say Champagne or white wines like Riesling just so easy, despite people’s misgivings about serving wine with spicy foods”.
Chinedu Rita Rosa has proven that African foods can make a great match for wines from around the world
“Talent doesn’t need to be blonde with blue eyes”
Her approach aims to show how “being open-minded can only create more business for wine”. After transitioning from running XO Wine Stores, which stocked as many as 300 SKUs, to moving to Bordeaux, she came up against the harsh realities of succeeding in the male-dominated, often “white boys’ club” world of wine. Out of her own frustration was born Bordeaux Mentor Week, established in 2022 with her own ‘mentor’ and friend Jane Anson. “I want people to see the resources they’re wasting by not hiring people from other races. Don’t they realise how valuable it is when you want to work in an African country and the person you’re working with comes from that country?!” Rosa and Anson set out to offer a helping hand to “people who didn’t come from an ideal Bordelais background but who are passionate about wine”. With the support of some high-profile chateaux like La Lagune, the launch year saw 150 applicants, which has now soared to 450. “There is so much talent out there and that person doesn’t need to be blonde with blue eyes”, says Rosa, who is now beginning to feel vindicated. “People are now realising that China and the United States are not delivering and I’m getting emails every day about Africa. As a banker, I know that the first rule is not to put all your eggs in the same basket. You need to diversify”. With a population set to double by 2050 and a significant rise in the standard of living and affluence, much of that diversification in the future could well come from Africa…
Chinedu Rita Rosa stresses that you cannot go to market without understanding it, or being willing to invest in it
