'Wine knowledge in Nigeria is evolving'

"Between 2010 and 2012, I was in Italy and I worked at a farm in Emilia-Romagna where they grow grapes. That gave me the foundation. I brought some wines back to Nigeria and tried the market and found there was interest," explains Isesele.

After a number of years of managing the wine portfolio of Fidossi International, during which he registered several brands from Italy, he left in 2020, studied wine marketing and management in Bordeaux before founding drinks importer and distributor NicotaWines, based in Lagos, in 2023.

His business has certainly grown in recent years, with more than 40 references serving as an indication of Nigeria's thirst for wines. While French and Canadian wines have around a dozen entries apiece, Italian wine takes up the lion's share.

"I work more with Italian brands because they are easy to sell, they have a lot of native grapes that are very unique. Wine knowledge in Nigeria is evolving, people are not just buying the famous wines."

Sparkling surge

One particular popular wine is Lambrusco, the sparkling, slightly sweet red from the region that Isesele called 'home' for two years.

“I know Lambrusco very well. Although I started selling entry level brands, now I sell medium and premium ones. I have a very good one from Settecani [Lambrusco Grasparossa DOC Amabile] that is doing excellently well in Nigeria," he explains. "Lambrusco is popular firstly because it’s sweet. Nigerians prefer sweeter wines to dry ones. Lambrusco also goes very well with our spicy food, and both men and women like it because the alcohol isn’t too high."

Isesele notes that other easy-drinking fizzes are doing well in Nigeria.

"Prosecco is seen as the alternative to Champagne, which is very expensive and can’t be afforded by everyone, so Prosecco is becoming very, very well known in Nigeria. Another wine that is doing well is Moscato d’Asti. Sparkling wines with a little bit of sugar are doing very well."

According to 2023 data from World Integrated Trade Solution, imports of Italian sparkling wine were valued at US$906,810 for a quantity of 405,018 litres. By contrast, imports of French sparkling wine (including Champagne) were considerably more valuable at US$16.1 million for an only marginally high volume of 518,965 litres.

Dry wine drive

However, Isesele notes that there is also ample opportunity for dry Italian wines.

"A lot of hotels and restaurants appreciate Grillo from Sicily Chardonnay. I started selling Grillo in 2024, and I have already sold a whole lot of cases," he shares.

"I believe that there’s also potential for other native red varieties, like Primitivo, Negroamaro, Appassimento, Nero di Troia and Nero d'Avola," continues Isesele. "We have experimented, and Nigerians appreciate these wines with spicy food. If a wine goes well with our palate and isn’t too expensive, I think the market is here. People like to try these things, and if the wines are suitable they are ready to buy them."

Export opportunities

Although Lagos, with its estimated population of around 20 million people, is where NicotaWines is based and where the epicentre of the wine market in West African is located, there is scope for growth elsewhere in Nigeria.

"I have good partners in Abuja and Port Harcourt, and I am trying to grow good partners in Edo, which is my own state of origin, although there they are more interested in the entry level Italian wines, but we are trying to introduce some more quality," explains Isesele.

Of course, shipping any wine between continents comes with its paperwork, but he suggests that this is not exactly an insurmountable challenge that should deter businesses.

"The problems can be mended. You just have to make sure that you have the right documents and certificates for importing products from Europe – registering for these is very expensive though, but what we can do is trial brands in our market first to see if they work well. In Nigeria it is better to work better with people who know how it works."

Isesele also points out that Donald Trump's tariffs on wine produced in the European Union, and the resultant added cost of export across the Atlantic, mean that wineries must seek alternative markets, such as Nigeria.

"It isn’t just the Italians – the Canadians are having a lot of problems in the US too, so they are paying a lot of attention to African markets, of which Nigeria is the leader. The Nigerian market is moving really fast, so this is the best time to enter the market."