Wine is a drink often absent from Ethiopian dinner tables. But experts have been teaching residents in Addis Ababa on how to enjoy wine with the meal being served.
“So you have to choose red wines whenever you consume heavy foods. So if you are eating white meat from chicken and if you drink red wine because the white chicken is not that heavy you digest it very quickly it’s better to pair it with the white wine.” Said Alemtsehay Bekele, Sales and Marketing Director, Castel Winery
Experts say the pairing of food and wine is easy because every bottle has clear recommendations on the label about what kind of food it would go well with.
Some diners don’t stick to the rules.
“I don’t think it is necessary to complicate it. I think that they need to taste, wine tasting, where they stick to white for example then they need to taste and see, the fruity ones, the dry, the super dry, the sweet.” Says a customer at a restaurant
One in particular appeals to locals here in Addis.
Ashenafi Asmamaw manages a nightclub in the city. He’s noticed an increasing number of customers ordering wine but says they don’t bother too much about pairing their wine and meals.
“Some guests have the wine before the food and some people have the wine after. So most times when they are enjoying their wine, they order later the food.” Said Ashenafi Asmamaw , General Manager, The Vault
Ethiopia’s two main wineries produce more than 12 million bottles a year. About three quarters is consumed locally. And as wine drinking becomes more popular, the vineyards are becoming more adventurous — branching out into new varietals.
