Senegal produces first wine in shade of iconic baobab

Nguekhokh (Senegal) (AFP). The bottles boasting Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache could be from any Parisian supermarket but a closer look reveals this is wine with a difference -- nurtured in the unforgiving soil of Africa's Sahel.

"Le Clos des Baobabs" -- "the Baobab Field" in English -- is Senegal's first vineyard, situated an hour's scenic drive from the capital Dakar on the picturesque Petite Cote.

Extending over just one hectare (2.5 acres) dotted with baobab trees which watch over the young grape as it gorges on nourishing, year-round sunshine, the plot is the realisation of a cherished dream shared by two French businessmen who are lovers of all things Senegal.

"The main challenge here is that there are no significant seasonal changes," said Philippe Franchois, an insurance broker in his 60s who teamed up with Francois Normant, a former computer engineer.

Since acquiring 10 hectares of land three years ago in the rural idyll of Nguekhokh, they have spent much of their brainpower and business acumen accommodating the unfavourable conditions.

"In France, you harvest on near enough a fixed date. The vine in Senegal degrades quickly but the advantage of the climate is that we can make two harvests a year," says Franchois.

Senegal is a flat, arid country, but the rainy season brings a mixture of hot sunshine and biblical downpours and the air near the coast can be relatively humid.

The two entrepreneurs use a complex irrigation system, featuring a 180-metre (600-feet) well, which looks impressive -- and expensive -- although the businessmen prefer not to discuss how much cash they have sunk into the venture.

Of the 10 hectares, only one is operational so far, a testing ground to gauge the reaction of vines imported from France to the unpredictable, capricious Senegalese soil.- 20m bottles sold annually -

Normant and Franchois have started out with five varieties -- Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah and Sangiovese.

"The Cabernet misbehaves. It's a long vine. We're not planning to repeat the experience," says Normant, who is in no hurry to reach industrial production levels any time soon.

This year, for the estate's second harvest, 500 bottles of red and rose wine are being readied, stamped with the emblematic baobab tree, which the pair hope will be their trademark once they begin marketing.

At 7,000 francs (11 euros, $12.30) a bottle, the wine is aimed squarely at the upper middle class, but the entrepreneurs deny being an expat brand in the almost entirely Muslim country of nearly 14 million.