The Nigeria wine and spirits market continues to receive rave reviews despite multiple challenges. The solid performance of notable players in the segment in recent years despite declining consumer purchasing power underlines its long-term viability. Fidelis Egbochie, CEO, Fidossi Wines & Spirits Limited (FWS), the distributor of Italian Vecchia Romagna (VR) 1820 which won the National Quality Order of Merit Awards for the Best Brandy Brand in Nigeria, is a strong player in the industry. Earlier in the year he attended the globally acclaimed ProWein wine and spirits exhibition in Germany where he met existing and potential industry partners. In this interview he talks about critical aspects of the industry and the growing Nigerian market.
Q. Given your product portfolio’s growing market success, you must have a rich background in marketing wine and spirit products. Can you tell us about your market experience?
A. My family has a deep root in distributing beverages locally as my dad served as a major distributor to Guinness Nigeria, Nigeria Breweries Plc, Nigeria Bottling Company (Coca-Cola) and Consolidated Breweries for more than 2 decades in the South-South region of Nigeria. In those years I was interested in Dad’s business so I started hanging around the warehouse to help build and manage his business. Customers would troop in from distant cities to book products, and delivery truck traffic around our warehouse was frequent. There were fewer large-scale distributors like my Dad around then. When I wasn’t in school, I would be in the warehouse helping out. I acquired a lot of experience from the daily management of the business. That experience prepared me for my venture into the wine and spirit segment. Currently, I deliver world-class wines and spirit brands sourced from the best vines and brewing houses globally to upscale retail shelves, premium events and households across Nigeria.
Q. You spend most of your time travelling to and sourcing from, top vines and brewinghouses in Europe. From your wide exposure, what makes for quality wine?
A. You asked an interesting question. The quality of wine is largely determined by the grape used in producing the wine. This is why rapt attentions are paid to ripening and factors such as temperature, the age of the vine, and the humidity of the soil, which have a strong effect on grape and product quality at the point of consumption. Winemaking involves complex processes of transforming raw plant materials. Grapes are harvested and brought for fermentation, followed by an ageing phase where the bouquet and taste of the wine are developed and refined. Fundamentally, traditional methods of wine-making are hardly different from the novel methodologies applied in some places. Extracts from grapes are fermented into alcoholic beverages which pass through processes that can only be explained in microbiology, to ensure the right taste and aroma are obtained. Wines are classified according to colour, alcohol content, grape variety, taste and texture. Quality in the end is tied to consumption experience which, like I said, starts from the grape quality.
Q. VR 1820 was recognised as the best brandy brand in Nigeria at the 2025 National Quality Order of Merit Awards held in Lagos. What characteristics set the brand apart from the competition?
Let me let you know that at FWS, we are consumer-centric. We go the extra length to ensure only the best wine and spirit products from top vines are distributed in Nigeria. All our product portfolios attest to that. I am not surprised VR 1820 became the best in the brandy category. Sourced from Italy, the brand is noted as one of the most carefully processed products around the globe. It is produced from Trebbiano grapes, known to be ideal for brandy production. The wine is double distilled using the Charentais method, which involves using copper stills, a technique also used in the production of Cognac. This method ensures that the brandy retains the full-bodied essence of the grapes. Further, it is aged in oak barrels to impart an amber colour and complex aromas, including fruity, spicy, and woody notes. The brandy is blended to achieve a smooth and balanced flavour profile. The consumption experience is impressive, based on feedback.
Q. A recent Mondaq report showed that Nigerians spend 31% of their disposable incomes on purchasing alcoholic beverages, and an average drinker in Nigeria drinks more alcohol than the average drinker in Africa at 16.1 litres to 15.5 litres annually. What can you say accounts for the consumption rate in the country?
A. As of March, stats showed that local wine lovers spend an average of ₦ 11,000 on wine compared to an average ₦ 7,600 on Spirit weekly. The trend in alcoholic beverage consumption in the country is tied to culture. Close to 30% of the adult population in Nigeria consumes alcohol. The country also has a growing youth population some of who are entering the workforce and following the pop culture which fuels their consumption lifestyle. The population is receptive to foreign brands. The availability of these brands at retail combined with strategies that position the brand within ranges that align with segment wallet realities are also driving consumption. It is even expected that further escalation in the tariff war will drive global marketers seeking alternative markets for their products will increasingly look to Africa, especially to Nigeria and the growing youth population – deepening choices at the point of consumption.
Q. What is your vision for the segment in the next decade?
A. We will continue to strengthen our sourcing and distribution capabilities to ensure only the best wine and spirit brands are distributed locally. The National Quality Order of Merit Award achievement is a motivation to do more for the market. Nigeria has a thriving population who deserve only the best. Currently, we are growing our product portfolio to ensure we are able to cater to the various taste buds, income segments, lifestyles and aspirations in the market.
