Nestled among six women-owned boutiques, Karibu Wine Lounge by Wachira is owned by Dr. Christine Wachira, the first Kenyan-born winemaker in California. Located at 1419 Park St. in Alameda.

The bar’s names are of Kenyan origins.  Karibu is Swahili for “you’re welcome” and Wachira means “one who deals with cases” like an attorney or judge.

But Wachira, whose family name has been carried down for many generations, also interprets the name to indicate that she was fated to be a winemaker – handling cases of wine instead of legal cases.   

She is now a fellow of the Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health who also oversees Neuroscience Clinical Outcomes at Stanford Healthcare. It was while she was working her way through college that Wachira  “fell in love with the science of winemaking and developed a deep appreciation for the sense of community built from sharing a bottle of wine with complete strangers,” her web site says.

Hours are Tuesday (by appointment only)-Thursday, 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Friday 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.; Saturday noon to 9:00 p.m. and Sunday noon to 6:00 p.m.  They can be reached at  510-479-4920.

For more information, please go to karibulounge.com and wachirawines.com.

Christy Price

Posts by Christy Price