Tanzania’s Winelands

Discovering the hidden vineyards around Dodoma

By Michael Gerber

Tanzanian wine, besides being rare, used to have a bad reputation: too sweet, immature, not refined enough. This is changing. Our reporter explored the vineyards around Dodoma – and returned to Zanzibar not only with precious bottles but also a revised opinion in his luggage.

Anton Mwasongwe may not fit the stereotype of a winemaker. The 21-year-old production assistant wears sneakers instead of muddy boots and talks about fermentation tanks with the calm confidence of a sommelier twice his age. But as he leads us through the vast cellars of Alko Vintage, he knows every detail by heart: why the sandy soil around Dodoma supports the growth of vines, why the dry climate matters more than altitude, and why Tanzanian wine is finally shedding its bad reputation.

Outside, the afternoon sun hangs low over ochre-coloured hills. Rows of vines stretch into the distance, interrupted only by a baobab tree here and there. Birds chirp above us while workers move carefully between the vines. This is not Tuscany, nor Stellenbosch — and that is precisely the point. Tanzania’s wine country feels wonderfully unexpected.

I came with my mother – a wine enthusiast on holiday from Switzerland – and my son Gabriel. We travelled from Zanzibar via Dar es Salaam by train to Dodoma. For my mother, this wasn’t just a welcome holiday excursion; it was professional curiosity. In the weeks leading up to our trip, her conversations often turned to the untapped potential of sub-equatorial viticulture.

Too sweet?

For years, Tanzanian wine carried a reputation for being overwhelmingly sweet, the kind of bottle politely accepted at dinner and quietly forgotten afterwards. But producers in Dodoma are working hard to change perceptions. Dry reds, balanced whites and even oak-aged reserves are increasingly replacing sugary blends.

And yes – Tanzania is still mainly a red wine country. Around three-quarters of production comes from red grape varieties, particularly Makutupora, a hardy local descendant linked to Cinsaut and Pinotage grapes. White wine is produced mainly from Chenin Blanc.

In and around Dodoma, the dusty political capital of Tanzania, 99 percent of Tanzania’s wine is cultivated. The country produces roughly nine million litres annually. That may sound substantial until compared with South Africa, Africa’s wine giant, which bottles around 800 million litres every year. Yet despite its tiny scale by global standards, Tanzania is considered the second-largest wine producer in Sub-Saharan Africa after South Africa.

Dry plains dotted with acacia

Wine arrived here through missionaries and Catholic priests. In the 1930s, nuns near Hombolo began planting grapes for altar wine. Tanzania’s first president Julius Nyerere encouraged expansion efforts. The roads out of Dodoma cut through dry plains dotted with acacia trees and giant termite mounds. Every now and then, women carrying baskets balance impossible loads on their heads while motorcycles overtake us in clouds of red dust.

One of our destinations on the wine trail was Domiya Estate, a boutique retreat that feels Mediterranean in the middle of Tanzania’s capital region. Bougainvillea spills over stone pathways, geraniums bloom in neat gardens.The estate is home to CETAWICO, an Italian-led winery producing quality labels such as Presidential and Ambassador. During a tasting session paired with local cheeses, nuts and cold cuts, staff explain how Tanzanian winemakers are increasingly focusing on quality. “The dry season is our advantage,” one guide tells us while pouring a surprisingly elegant Syrah. “Too much humidity destroys grapes. Here we have even two harvests per year.” Tanzania’s wine regions are among the very few in the world to harvest grapes twice annually — typically in March and August.

Comfortable electric train

The train ride to Dodoma and back was part of the adventure. The new Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) passed the Uluguru Mountains, villages flickering by in the afternoon light, while attendants pushed tea carts through spotless aisles. By the time we boarded the train back to Dar es Salaam, our bags were considerably heavier – with bottles from Dodoma – and our assumptions lighter: Tanzanian wine may never compete with France or South Africa in scale, but that is irrelevant. Dodoma’s wine region does not overwhelm visitors with prestige. Instead, it wins people over quietly — one conversation, one vineyard and one unexpectedly good glass at a time.

Journey to the vineyards

How to get there:

By ferry to Dar es Salaam, then by train to Dodoma in 3 hrs 42 min with the new comfortable electric speedtrain SGR 

Where to stay:

Some wine estates offer hotels and fine restaurants

• DOMIYA ESTATE Winery retreat with spa: +255 735 008 801
• CETAWICO Dine and wine: +255 786 799 010
• ALKO VINTAGE, Tours & Tasting: Closed mid-July – Oct: +255 653 023 866alkovintages.com/