If you’ve never been to a wine tasting, be aware that it is one of the most interesting events though a few matters of etiquette apply at most tastings. Wine tastings are events designed to give enthusiasts the opportunity to sample a range of wines.

This Thursday saw many wine tasters familiarizing themselves with politeness which created an air of fun and comfort as they sampled and tested new brands of wines at "Cucina”, the Italian restaurant at Kigali Marriott Hotel.

So as to make its patrons more familiar with its wine menu, every two months, Marriott Hotel makes every second Thursday of the month a merry evening for wine lovers to taste and enjoy different brands of fine wines.

But before the wines, let us face facts, appreciate and give praise to the splendid service and the mouthwatering food – from pizzas to risottos and pastas that was served to the wine lovers before, during and after the wine testing.

The food was splendid for the invited select group that attended the wine-tasting evening at Cucina. There were also various amuse-bouches including cheeses, ham and different types of bread as wine tasters were treated to different flavors from around the world.

The free wine tasting event was hosted by Gil Cheviron a visiting French sommelier who is also expected to conduct trainings for local Rwanda hotel wine waiters, during and after the launch of the event.

The event was more like a party with tasters milling around informally and sharing knowledge and experiences as they tested different wines and discovered which ones they like.

One Alice Mutoni who also attended the previous wine tasting in February said Wine tastings are popular because they override the limitations of sampling wine alone, at home.

"How many wines can you taste on your own (unless you don’t mind throwing away nine-tenths of every bottle)? How many wines are you willing to buy on your own? And how much can you learn by tasting wine in isolation — or with a friend whose expertise is no greater than yours?” she asked

The added that at wine tastings, one can learn from fellow tasters, as well as make new friends who share their interest in wine. Most importantly, you can taste wine in the company of some individuals who are more experienced than you, which is a real boon in training your palate.

Kigali Marriott's Food and Beverage Director, Simon Hodson said that though this is their second wine tasting at Marriott, the wine tasting is becoming popular as more people asking for the event to be more frequent.

"Today the event has been well received by the guests who came. This time, we were looking at adding to our wine list and today guests sampled Chardonnay Green, Franshhoek Cellar Shiraz and Range Cabernet, from one of South Africa's cooler growing regions, Kiwi Cuvee Malbec, Kiwi Cuvee Chardonny from France and Kiwi Cuvee Pinot Grigio from Italy which are popular wines that made the occasion palatable for the wine tasters” explained Simon

He added that Kigali Marriott intends to have regular wine evenings, so that people can come and enjoy this at the Marriott.

"We also want the public know that Kigali Marriott can be accessible and affordable to them. We have bottles of wine for as little as Rwf20, 000 and glasses of wine at Rwf5000 which is quite affordable” said Simon