When I received the invitation to go to Africa Gourmet for a little wine tasting and to get to know the shop, I was immediately super intimidated. (I used to live in France. I’ve done my time at being the wine idiot at the table, okay?) But on the other hand… how could I pass this up? And I had been complaining that I didn’t know where to go in Dakar for a decent wine selection.

So I accepted, and took a friend along to help me out if I got stuck and had nothing ‘gourmet’ enough to ask or say about the wines. Brilliant move. We had such a great time! Africa Gourmet is owned and operated by very knowledgeable, very friendly, super down-to-earth (wait for it) Senegalese women. We were immediately put at ease and had a lovely evening chatting and learning.

What is Africa Gourmet? Well, it’s a wine shop located in Ngor just across from the stadium. They carry mostly French wines but also wines from the US, Australia, South Africa, Chile, Switzerland, Spain, Corsica, Italy… All of their wines are delivered by refrigerated container in order to meet the requirements of the producers. They have wines for every budget (really!) and can deliver anywhere in Dakar, right away and any day. So if you get in a pinch before dinner or have a last-minute party and you don’t want to show up empty handed – boom. Call Africa Gourmet.

5 things to know, courtesy of Martine at Africa Gourmet 

1. In Senegal, store all your wines in the fridge. Even if they are too chilled, they’ll warm up quickly as you pull them out to serve.

2. Mise en bouteille à la propriété. Look for this when choosing wine. It means that the wine was produced by a single person so you can count on its quality because they have put their name and reputation behind it. (Also mis en bouteille au chateau or even mis en bouteille au domaine.) A good bottle will have all the information on it. Even if you don’t understand exactly what the label says, details are a good sign.

3. There is a coupon for Africa Gourmet in the 2017 Smartbook! Buy 5 bottles, the 6th is free. Also 10% off every purchase.

4. Wine tastings are available for groups of 12 or more. (Highly recommended!)

5. Africa Gourmet also has a location in Saly and they deliver as well.

Africa Gourmet
Located across from the Ngor Stadium.
Tel: 33 820 97 57
Find them on Facebook.
Open 11am-9pm Monday thru Saturday.
English spoken.