(AllAfrica) - The history of wine making in Ethiopia is as old as the history of the nation. Professor Richard Pankhurst in the December 2006 Journal of Ethiopian studies (vol. 39:1-2), noted that grapes and wine were apparently well known in Ethiopia in early Axumite time and used to be imported at Axum through Red Sea Port of Adulis around the first century A.D. According to the Peripilus of Erythraean Sea, these imports included wine from Syria and Italy.

Professor Richard also noted that an early reference to Axumite wine was found in one of King Ezana's early 4th century inscriptions. Axumite awareness of wines and grapes is further evident from the fact that both were represented in the carvings on the base of the great standing obelisk at Axum, which dates back to 3rd century A.D.

Ethiopia has been making local wine called tejj, (or mead in English), which is a type of honey-wine flavored with leaves from gesho tree, that resemble hops. However, this ancient wine-making tradition is gradually being taken over by a much modern form of wine-making, and nowadays standardized high-quality wines are produced in the country.

Some of the traditional fermented beverages in Ethiopia include Tella, tej, areki, borde, and shamita. These all are drinks that Ethiopians brew to provide their guests with guests depending on specific cultures of different regions. These drinks are made from locally available raw materials, using similar production procedures but their tastes may vary.

One of the most consumed fermented alcoholic beverages is tella, which is made mostly with barley but wheat, maize, sorghum, and teff are also utilized. Its production process shows similarity with that of beer where it requires the addition of malt and gesho to have the effect hops have in beer. The degree of alcoholic fermentation is low and alcohol content varies between 2 and 6 percent.(Mooha Lee, Meron Regu, Semeneh Seleshi College of Agriculture and Environmental Science, Arsi University, Asella, 2015).