The Egyptian wine industry is prospering

(22 Jun 2007) SHOTLIST :

Giza - recent

1. Group of tourists in a train of camels

2. Female tourist on camel beside pyramid

3. Man on camel walking in front of pyramid

4. Inside a tomb, hieroglyphics and winemaking scene on wall, pan left

5. Close up wine scene inside tomb, people crushing grapes

6. SOUNDBITE :(English) Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s antiquities chief

"Egyptian wine is dated back about 5,000 years ago. We can say that the Egyptians were the first in the world to invent the wine- not really any wine, but the best wine."

7. Wall scene inside tomb of man with bunch of grapes

8. Close up wall scene in tomb, bunch of grapes

9. Close up wall scene inside tomb, grapes in a bowl

10. Wide pyramids

Near Alexandria - recent

11. Wide vineyard, pan left

12. Close up grapes on vine

13. Close up more grapes on vine

El Gouna - recent

14. EgyBev facility, pan left

15. Interiors of plant, machines labelling wine bottles

16. Close up wine bottles being topped off through machines in plant

17. Workers putting wine bottles in boxes after they go through the machines

18. Worker with forklift moving wine boxes inside plant

19. Close up wine label Jardin du Nil

20. SOUNDBITE :(English) Andre Hadji-Thomas, managing director of EgyBev

"I think, not being too presumptuous, that our introduction into the market has made that our competition is trying to improve the quality of wine because in order to compete with our own products. And to my knowledge and with all the inquiries we are making, on a quality basis, we are considered the best wines available in Egypt today."

Cairo - recent

21. Wide Nile river at night

22. Wide inside Nile Hilton restaurant dining room, pan left

23. Inside restaurant man drinking wine at table

24. Man drinking wine in the restaurant

25. SOUNDBITE :(English) Jean-Pierre Mainardi, general manager of the Nile Hilton and a wine expert

"Today Egypt is producing, yes indeed we can say that, fantastic white wine made of chardonnay grape primarily and very very good white, very good red wine as cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and merlot."

26. Wide of Cairo, the Nile

27. Various Cairo street market, traffic and people walking through -

28. Women in head scarves at the street market

29. Wide mosque in Cairo, camera zooms in

30. Close up of mosque with the busy street in front

LEAD IN :

Egypt is a predominately Muslim nation and alcohol is forbidden for practising Muslims.

Non-Muslims and tourists can enjoy a drink of beer or glass of wine and the country’s laws are quite liberal.

The Egyptian wine industry is experiencing something of a revival in recent years.

Wine is not a new product for Egypt, people were drinking wine in ancient Egypt over 5,000 years ago.

STORYLINE :

Tourists pass the great pyramids at Giza dressed in vests and shorts.

The many Muslim country takes a pragmatic approach to tourism and the strict Islamic observances which practising Muslims obey here are of no concern to holidaymakers.

The same goes for alcohol.

Westerns can enjoy a glass of wine or beer with their meal in the comfort of their own hotel.

But for Egypt’s Muslim majority alcohol is forbidden.

However ancient Egyptians cultivating vineyards on the banks of the Nile over five centuries ago.

These faded friezes in the tombs of the pyramids show people crushing grapes and a man holding a bunch of grapes.

Zahi Hawass, is Egypt’s Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, says that the ancient Egyptians invented wine.

Grapes require heavy irrigation in this desert country with sparse rainfall.



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