Angola imports USD1b a year in wine

Angola spends USD1billion every year on importing wine, as national production is still small, according to figures issued Thursday in Luanda, at the inauguration of the second edition of the country’s wine festival.
The director of the Angola Wine Festival, Miguel Pinho, noted that the figure was a good representation of a “very large business” in the country, which shows “the importance that wine has in Angolan life and cuisine, which is a unique situation in Africa.”
This second edition of the Angola Wine Festival closed on Saturday. It aimed at promoting wine culture in combination with Angolan cuisine.
The event featured 85 exhibitors representing 500 brands of wine mainly from Portugal, but also from countries such as Chile, South Africa and Italy, among others.
Miguel Pinho told Portuguese news agency Lusa that Angola is starting to have wine production projects, so the first Angolan producers may make their debut as soon as next year’s edition of the festival.
Among other promotional activities, the festival includes wine themed dinners and guided wine tasting events, emphasizing the importance of pairing wine with Angolan cuisine. MDT/Macauhub