Nigeria’s wine manufacturers have the capacity to revolutionise the industry, Starwood hotels Limited, which owns Sheraton Hotels and other chains of hotels in Nigeria, has said.
Being a major stakeholder in wine business in the country and the globe, the hotel has reemphasised the importance of the wine industry, stressing that it has a lot of potential.
Affirming this in Abuja during the official launch of ‘Sheraton Paired’ at the new Sheraton Food and Beverage programme comprising artisanal small plates and eclectic bar snacks served alongside suggested premium wines and local craft beers, Nanji Tyem, company’s communication manager, disclosed that Nigeria now has certified wine makers that can see to the evolution of wine industry in the country.
“Wine drinking here in Nigeria was seen as a thing of class distinguisher. It is perceived as a drink of the high class, but I think the beer culture is now being infused with the wine culture in Nigeria. Everybody can drink wine. We have wines now that are affordable and budget friendly, both vintage and premium wines,” Tyem said.
While commenting on Sheraton’s partnership with Reworth Group – the organiser of the annual wine festival, she said the partnership with Nigerian International Wine Festival is a very strategic one, as it improves the profile of wine drinking in the country.
“It’s a three-day thing. We did it last year and we are doing it again today. The interesting thing about this year’s partnership is that we were able to leverage on the festival to launch the ‘Sheraton Paired’ which is a reinvented lobby bar food and beverages eclectic program, where we pair small plates with highly-rated premium wines and we offer our guests an elevated lobby bar experience which really broadens their imagination,” she said.
Irshad Nouman, general manager of Sheraton Abuja Hotel, said ‘Paired’ is part of Sheraton 2020, a comprehensive ten-point plan unveiled in June 2015 with the aim of putting Sheraton Hotels and Resorts firmly back into the global spotlight.
“Sheraton 2020 also includes a new $100 million Sheraton-focused marketing campaign; the launch of the new premier tier; and a goal of opening more than 150 new Sheraton hotels worldwide by 2020,” Nouman said.
