From March 23-25, 2026, at the JW Marriott in Nairobi, the Court of Master Sommeliers (Europe) held examinations for their “Introductory” and “Certified” qualifications.

Fifteen candidates attempted the Introductory exam of whom 10 passed. Five took the Certified exam with just one passing.

Successful in the Introductory exam were Bailliage of Kenya Sommelier members Beverly Mbaika and Soraiya Ladak. Congratulations to them both on this significant career step!

“Introductory” is the first level at which all prospective Master Sommeliers begin. The course is two days long, with the examinations on the morning of the third day.

According to the Court of Master Sommeliers website, the content of the course covers:
- Elementary practices in the vineyard and winemaking procedures.
- The grape varieties, origins, specific winemaking procedures and classifications for all the principal wines of the world.
- The production, raw materials and flavours of spirits and liqueurs.
- Technical skills in wine service.
- Importance of social skills.
- Fundamentals of matching wines with food.
- An introduction to the skills of wine tasting.

The lectures are presented by Master Sommeliers using a PowerPoint format, interspersed with wine tastings and a practical service demonstration. The examination comprises a multiple-choice theoretical paper plus a short elementary practical service test. The pass mark for each part of this examination is 60%.

Beverly Mbaika is a Sales and Business Development Manager with Africa Consulting. The company is a passionate team of wine and spirits professionals, committed to delivering exceptional quality and service. Their mission is to bring the finest premium wines and craft spirits from globally recognized brands to East Africa, enabling customers to create memorable moments.

Soraiya Ladak is Managing Director at The Wine Shop Kenya - a family run business that imports and distributes exclusive premium wines from around the globe, stretching from Argentina to New Zealand and everything in between. She is passionate about all things wine and spends her time trying to get her wines into all bars, hotels and restaurants as well as empowering and training staff to be more aware and knowledgeable about wine and develop a passion as deep as hers in wine. Soraiya is a member of Team Wine Kenya, the blind tasting team that represents the country in competitions held in France. Additionally, she is Treasurer of the Sommeliers of Kenya Association.

In the photo above, Beverly is standing on the right and Soraiya is seated second from left.

Prepared by a Chaîne News Online Staff Writer
Researched from various sources. E&OE