In 2020, my second love and I co-founded Afrivines, a brand that sought to expand the wine market in Malawi. During my trips to Cape Town, I have intended to visit local wine farms, but have yet to get the chance to do so. Thus, visiting Bodega Severino Sanz in Segovia, Spain, became my second immersive winery experience.
When we launched Afrivines in 2020, the selection available in local stores was limited—mostly dominated by a handful of South African imports and a few European varieties. We saw an opportunity to bridge this gap by curating a diverse collection of wines, particularly from South Africa, which has a rich winemaking heritage.
AfriVines was my first business venture into wine, and it gave me a hands-on understanding of the market, logistics, and consumer behavior in Malawi’s wine industry. But more importantly, it ignited my curiosity about winemaking itself.
This curiosity led us to Malawi’s own wine industry, which, though small, had one significant player: Linga Wines.
Discovering Malawi’s Local Winemaker: Linga Wines
Linga Wines is Malawi’s first and only commercial winery, operating for over a decade and producing wines from locally available fruits rather than traditional grapes. Given Malawi’s tropical climate, the production of grape wine is challenging, so Linga adapted to its environment by using hibiscus, guavas, and other fruits to create unique wine blends.
Visiting Linga Wines was an eye-opening experience. While I had initially viewed wine as a luxury import, this visit showed me how local innovation could reshape an industry.
But it also left me thinking: Could Malawi ever cultivate vineyards and produce grape-based wine at scale?
Bodega Severino Sanz: A Deep Dive into Spanish Winemaking
Fast forward to 2025, and I found myself on a winery tour in Spain—one of the world’s most renowned wine-producing regions. Bodega Severino Sanz, located in Segovia, was my second immersive winery experience, and this time, I was learning about winemaking at an even deeper level.
Unlike Linga Wines, which relies on fruit fermentation, Bodega Severino Sanz specializes in traditional grape-based wines, particularly Tempranillo and Verdejo varietals. The entire production process—from vineyard cultivation to fermentation and bottling—was meticulously controlled, ensuring consistency and quality.
What Stood Out to Me About Bodega’s Winemaking Approach:
Terroir-Driven Production: The soil, climate, and natural elements were central to their winemaking philosophy. This emphasized how deeply geography influences the taste of wine—a concept that would be key if Malawi ever pursued grape vineyards.
Balancing Tradition & Technology: The winery still used old clay amphorae for aging, while also leveraging modern stainless-steel tanks for precision. This mix of old-world craftsmanship and new-world efficiency ensured that every bottle retained its unique character.
Wine Tourism as a Business Model: Bodega wasn’t just about production—it was an experience. They offered tours, tastings, and educational sessions, integrating hospitality into their revenue model. This made me wonder: Could this be a model for Malawi?
If Malawi ever developed a serious wine industry, it would need to think beyond production and incorporate agritourism into its strategy.
The Digital Divide in Winemaking: What Malawi Can Learn
I can’t help—I seem to see everything through a digital lens now. One thing I’ve observed in my journey from selling wine to learning about winemaking is the digital gap between developed and emerging wine industries.
- In Spain and South Africa, wineries use AI, data analytics, and automation to predict grape yields, optimize fermentation, and improve marketing strategies.
- In Malawi, winemaking is largely small-scale and manual, with limited access to agricultural technology.
For Malawi to develop a commercially viable wine industry, it would require investment in:
- Climate research for viticulture
- Precision farming for grape cultivation
- Supply chain development to scale production
This aligns with my broader vision for Kwathu Farms—to explore agro-innovation that can sustain high-value industries, including specialty crops like grapes.
The Future: Winemaking and Kwathu Farms
As I’ve gone from selling wine to learning about wine to understanding winemaking, I now see a clear intersection between my interest in agriculture and digital transformation.
Kwathu Farms, which I envision as a hub for agricultural innovation in Africa, could someday explore vineyard development in Malawi, or maybe in Cape Town.
🌱 Could I see myself owning a vineyard? Yes.
📍 Would I start it in Malawi? Maybe—depending on climate viability.
🍇 Would I start it in Cape Town? More likely—given the region’s established wine culture.
Either way, my relationship with wine has evolved. What started as a business opportunity has become an educational and entrepreneurial journey—and it’s far from over. My journey in wine has taken me from AfriVines in Malawi to Linga Wines, to Bodega Severino Sanz in Spain. Each step has deepened my appreciation for the craft, the science, and the business of winemaking. But most importantly, it has expanded my vision for agricultural innovation in Africa.
Maybe one day, Kwathu Farms will plant its first vineyard.
Maybe one day, I’ll be bottling my own label of wine.
Maybe one day, Malawi will have its own global wine industry.
Until then, I’ll keep learning, one bottle at a time.
With a glass in hand, always half full,
Ntha
Photos courtesy of Bodega Severino Sanz
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