Vineyards can be found all over the region, and all of them grow grapes and other fruits to make their wines. But it’s not the only way to make wine.
An Ethiopian recipe dating back thousands of years for a wine called “tej” uses just three ingredients — water, yeast and honey. One of the few places in the U.S. making tej also operates the only tasting room in the country, and it’s just inside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia.
Gize Negussie operates Negus Winery with his wife. Ironically, it’s located on Vine Street just off Van Dorn Street in Alexandria.
“Ethiopian honey wine, or tej fermented beverage, is made from honey, and dates back more than 3,000 years, the time of Queen of Sheba,” Negussie said. “And it’s part of Ethiopian meals, gatherings and celebrations.”
It’s believed the Queen of Sheba brought tej back from a visit to King Solomon in Israel — yes, the one from the Bible.
“She got a chance to try both wines, the grape wine and the honey wine, and she was falling in love with the honey wine,” Negussie said. “And she learned how the honey wine is made from the honey and what kind of yeast is right for the honey wine. And she actually learned from King Solomon of Israel. And then she returned back to Ethiopia and [taught] for her Ethiopian followers.”
You can get a full tasting experience at Negus, with special Ethiopian snacks to eat with the honey wine, which is different from mead and also not as sweet as you might think — especially the dryer versions. They make four varieties of varying strength. It’s served chilled like a white wine, but the fermentation process is different.
A special yeast is used to make the tej. Each barrel also uses more than 10 gallons of wildflower honey procured in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. But the recipe comes from Negussie’s mother in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, which is why it’s called “Mama’s Authentic Honey Tej.”
“It’s a tough recipe to lock in,” he said. “And so many people, they tried, and I think they fold.”
In fact, the first time he made tej it didn’t come out right at all, and his mother let him know about it.
“She was like, ‘damn it, this is terrible,’” he said with a laugh. “And then the second one, I learned from my mistake … and then after that, I bottled it. I called it ‘Mama’s Honey Wine’ after her.”
The complexities that go into making it is one reason Negussie thinks there aren’t any other tasting rooms in the U.S. that offer tej.
“When I used to live in San Francisco, I got a chance to visit high-end wineries, and none of them offer honey wine, or tej,” he said. “And I was so eager to start because I really want to see people as they fall in love trying it, especially the people who visit Virginia.
“Virginia becomes also a wine country these days, especially down in Purcellville, and I really want to give a chance for people to try and to learn how the Ethiopian traditional honey wine [is served].”
Negus also makes a couple varieties of wine using grapes from another vineyard in Purcellville, but their tej is the main event.
You can also find Mama’s Tej inside some restaurants and on store shelves around the D.C. area — typically near places with notable Ethiopian populations. And with Ethiopian Christmas celebrations happening this weekend, Negus is holding events over the next two weekends to celebrate.
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