When Negus Winery opened its doors, it wasn’t just the start of Alexandria’s newest winery. It was owner/winemaker Gize Negussie’s way to introduce Tej, or Ethiopian honey wine, to the world.

Honey wine is a cultural staple in Ethiopia, with a history going back to the Queen of Sheba. While it’s an alcoholic beverage related to mead, don’t expect to taste something you’d find at a renaissance festival.

“Think of Tej as a cousin of mead”, Gize explained. “To make an Ethiopian honey wine, you need the right kind of honey and yeast.

The fermentation process is also different. Mead gets a lot of its flavors from fruits and spices, but we don’t add anything to our honey wine, not even sulfites. If you ask members of the Ethiopian community if Tej and mead are the same, they’d disagree.”

While Ethiopia has tasting houses dedicated to this beverage, Gize is proud to say Negus Winery is the first such establishment in the U.S. But the road to opening his own tasting room was a winding one.

Originally from Ethiopia, Gize arrived in San Francisco in 2011. His time in California exposed him to the wine industry.

“I grew up in a business-oriented family. I started a tour & travel company which explored California wine country, and that allowed me to make connections in the wine business. Winemakers encouraged me to introduce Tej to the United States, since it’s completely different.”

Gize first opened a brewery in D.C., which included a honey wine on the menu. Unfortunately, the pandemic hit and the business didn’t survive.

Speaking with his family, Gize came up with an idea that was both new yet familiar; opening a honey wine establishment in the D.C. area, with beverages using his family’s recipe.

“When we celebrate in Ethiopia, honey wine is a must-have on the table. It used to be reserved for royalty but now every family makes it. My recipe came from my mother, but we modernized the production process.

I knew if I opened a tasting room here, people will fall in love with it. While there are other honey wine producers in the United States, none of them have their own tasting room. So far we’re the only one.”

Negus produces three kinds of honey wine; semi-dry, semi-sweet, and non-alcoholic. In keeping with tradition these are served in a “berele”, a colorful Ethiopian flask-like vessel.

While these are Negus’s flagship beverages, guests have additional options.

“I don’t want to close the door to people who want to try something else”, Gize explained while pouring another serving of honey wine. “We wanted to support local, so we also serve several grape wines made in Loudoun County. Hopefully next year I’ll be making wine on premise.”

Negus Winery is located at 5509 Vine St Suite A, Alexandria. Extra parking is available behind the building.

Visitors are welcome to bring their own food or enjoy snacks purchased on premise. A food truck will be available in the spring.