An Introduction to African Wines

This past week, I decided to venture into a world of wine that I know very little about: African wine.  While I was familiar with South African wines, I had never tasted wine from any other African country.  In fact, it had never even crossed my mind to do so until a friend brought over a bottle Omar Khaggam (also known as Omar el Khayam) 2006 Gianaclis from Egypt.  I will admit to being rather skeptical, since, when I think of Egypt, I think of the pyramids and Cleopatra before I think of wine.  I was very excited to discover something new, however, and luckily I did since the bottle turned out to be better than expected (although I don’t think I would go out and buy a bottle today).  To complete our short tour of Africa, we also opened a bottle of Kanonkop Kadette 2006 from South Africa that I had picked up at Comptoir des Andes & du Nouveau Monde during my last trip to Paris.  Here is what we found…

Omar Khaggam of Egypt

Winemaking is nothing new to Egypt.  In fact, the wine of Egypt dates back to pre-historic times (2600 BCE) and is documented in many ancient artifacts.  And, while the grape vine does not originate from Egypt, it was during the time of the pharaohs that the winemaking process and ingredients where first documented.  Today, Egypt produces around half a million gallons of wine a year, which is a noteworthy amount considering the large Muslim (non-alcohol drinking) population, and not to mention its bad reputation.  The three major producers are Château des Reves, Obelisk, and Gianaclis.  The latter is owned by Heineken and produces the label Omar Khaggam, which is named after the Persian mathematician and philosopher who said, “Drink wine.  This is life eternal.”

The Omar Khaggam we drank was 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, and, at first, had the characteristics that you would expect from a cab.  The color was a medium ruby red, and the aromas were that of red berries and prunes.  In the mouth, the wine is round, velvety, and very fruity, but lacking in tannins and structure.  The finish was weak with a slight metal taint.

Kanonkop Kadette of South Africa

While I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to find another bottle of Omar Khaggam, I would certainly make the effort for the Kanonkop Kadette 2006 of South Africa.  This bottle was truly a great find.

Kanonkop is a family estate located on the lower slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain in the Stellenbosch Region of the Cape, an area otherwise known as the “red wine bowl” of South Africa.  The wine is a blend made from Pinotage (39%), Cabernet Sauvignon (32%), Merlot (20%), and Cabernet Franc (9%).  This gives a luscious full-bodied, dry red wine that is well balanced, with nice acidity, delicate tannins, and a fruity velvety linger.  There was a nice finish with a touch of spice.  This is a sophisticated and eloquent wine that is also a great buy at just 10 euros a bottle.