Kumusha in the Zimbabwean Shona language translates to ‘your home’, ‘your roots’ or ‘your origin’. For Tinashe Nyamudoka, this was the only name he could think of to give his winery. As an immigrant from South Africa from Zimbabwe Tinashe had long ago made his adoptive country his home. Through Kumusha he is honoring the place that gave him the opportunity to pursue his dreams by crafting wine that celebrates South Africa’s unique terroir.

After a formidable career in the South African hospitality industry, working at some of Africa’s finest hotels and restaurants, Tinashe was ready for a new beginning. While managing some the continent's best wine lists he worked at some of the countries best winery becoming a master blender himself. He took that experience and the relationships he had developed and spun them into Kumusha.

He sources fruit from Attie Lowe from the Opstal estate in the Breedekloof Valley. As sources go it doesn't get much better than this. Known for its warm day and very cold night, the heat of summer is moderated by shadows cast by the looming mountain to the west. This is the perfect combination to produce wines that are complex and ripe while remaining light and fresh.

Tinashe takes these pristinely grown grapes and turns them into elegant and refined wines that while being very European in their tailoring they possess a level of fruit complexity that makes them clearly South African. To achieve this Tinashe stays out of the way in the cellar preferring a minimalist approach. The wines are spontaneously fermented in concrete for the red and stainless for the whites. Kept cool throughout the process the wines retain an enormous amount of energy. The wines are aged in used neutral oak barrels so as not to get in the way of terroir. A tiny bit of sulphur before bottling is the only addition.

Having lived it first hand, Tinashe is more aware than most of the formidable barriers that black Africans face when trying to break into the wine biz. So he finds time in his busy schedule to be an executive director of The Black Cellar Club (BLACC), a South African association of wine professionals. They work to boost the profile of blacks in an industry once and in many ways still is fraught with inequality. The organization’s other aims include investment in education and work opportunities for young blacks South Africans. It also seeks to increase per capita spending on wines in South African townships and to advocate for responsible drinking.

We are honored to sell Tinashe's beautiful wines and can't wait to see what this phenom has in store. By producing wines that showcase its unique terroir and mentoring the next generation of its black winemakers and wine professionals, Tinashe is helping to shape a bright future for South African Wines; a future that truly represents the beauty and diversity of South Africa and its peoples.

Professional Reviews