By Tseday Alehegn

Sheba Tej Tasting Session at Tsiona Gallery in Harlem, New York

In the hamlet of Washingtonville, New York, lies the scenic campus
of Brotherhood Winery, a national historic landmark and America’s oldest
winery, established in 1837. According to the Washingtonville Village
Historian, Edward J. McLaughlin III, the original owner John Jacques “had
planted a vineyard in the rear yard of his lumber business store, shipping
the harvest of grapes to the Isles of Manhattan for 15 cents a pound.”
When the price of grapes fell, Jacques experimented with pressing the fruit
into juice and started producing wine. Subsisting on the sale of sacramental
wine during the prohibition years, Brotherhood Winery continued its
winemaking legacy.

Today Brotherhood Winery is a popular site for tourists, producing a wide assortment of award-wining wines, including Chardonnay, Johannisberg Riesling, Seyval Blanc, Chelois, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir. Under the supervision of Cesar Baeza, an internationally-renowned Chilean winemaster and new owner of Brotherhood Winery, a new dessert wine called Sheba Tej made from pure organic honey is now part of the premium wine list. Although the honey wine may be newly introduced to the Hudson Valley, Ethiopians have known it for centuries as “Tej”.

– See more at: http://www.tadias.com/05/06/2007/starbucks-bows-out-ethiopia-is-free-to-trademark-its-coffee-brands/#sthash.iG1hIKmt.dpuf