CNN: Five African Wines Making a Splash

CNN, Marketplace Africa

By OLIVER JOY

For something very different, but very traditional, Tej is an East African honey wine, primarily consumed in Ethiopia. The white wine, which can be either sweet or dry depending on the amount of honey used, also includes Gesho, which is a buckthorn shrub native to the Horn of Africa nation.

Harry Kloman, an expert on Tej and Ethiopian cuisine, said that there are very few, if any, wineries that produce Tej as the wine tends to be homemade or served in a “Tej Bet,” a bar that specializes in the wine.

Araya Selassie Yibrehu is one of the producers to have mastered the art of Tej brewing over the years. He said: “Unlike other wines my Tej and Tej-based wines are all ‘happy drinks’ that have a delicate taste and are thirst quenching. It’s a great stimulating aperitif and complement to most dishes or desserts.”

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