Moroccan wine
Encyclopedia
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
is considered to have the best natural potential for producing quality wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
s, due to its high mountains and cooling influence of the Atlantic, as these factors offset the risk of having too hot vineyards. An important exporter of wine in the colonial era before 1956, the Morrocan wine industry is experiencing a revival and expansion since the 1990s due to influx of foreign investments.
History
Viticulture in the region of today's Morocco is believed to have been introduced by PhoeniciaPhoenicia
Phoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...
n settlers, and was definitely established in the era of Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
. Large-scale viticulture was introduced into Morocco by French colonists, just as it was to the neighboring country of Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
. However, the quantities of Moroccan wine produced was never nearly as high as that of Algerian wine
Algerian wine
Algerian wine is wine made from the North African country of Algeria. While not a significant force on the world's wine market today, Algeria has played an important role in the history of wine. Algeria's viticultural history dates back to its settlement by the Phoenicians and continued under...
. At the time of the country's independence in 1956, there was 55000 hectares (135,907.8 acre). Although much of the French expertise left when Morocco became independent, the wine trade continued to be significant into the 1960s, until EEC
European Economic Community
The European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) The European Economic Community (EEC) (also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking world, renamed the European Community (EC) in 1993The information in this article primarily covers the EEC's time as an independent...
introduced quotas in 1967 which led to significant reductions in the previous export to the EEC countries. Under a combination of restricted access to the traditional market, and competition from overproduction in other Mediterranean countries, much of the wine production became uneconomical, and a significant portion of Morocco's vineyards were grubbed up and replaced with other crops. In the period 1973-1984, the vast majority of the vineyards were also taken over by the Moroccan state. The state which introduced measures such as fixed prices for grapes, irrespective of quality, which were not compatible with regaining competitiveness, and generally handled its vineyard very poorly. In the early 1990s, there was 40000 hectares (98,842.1 acre) of vineyards in Morocco, of which 13000 hectares (32,123.7 acre) were planted with vines for wine production (rather than for table grape
Table grape
Table grapes are grapes intended for consumption while they are fresh, as opposed to grapes grown for wine production, juice production, or for drying into raisins....
or raisin
Raisin
Raisins are dried grapes. They are produced in many regions of the world. Raisins may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking and brewing...
production), and of these vineyards, more than half had old and/or diseased vines of low productivity.
In the 1990s, during the rule of Hassan II
Hassan II of Morocco
King Hassan II l-ḥasan aṯ-ṯānī, dial. el-ḥasan ettâni); July 9, 1929 – July 23, 1999) was King of Morocco from 1961 until his death in 1999...
, the Moroccan wine production started to improve due to foreign (primarily French) investment and know-how. This was achieved by offering foreign wine companies the possibility for long-term lease of vineyards from the state agricultural company SODEA. Several large Bordeaux-based wine companies, including Groupe Castel, William Pitters and Taillan, entered into such partnerships, which have been quite successful in reviving the Moroccan wine industry. As an example, the Castel brand Boulaouane was the best-selling foreign wine in France as of 2005, and the vineyard area had expanded to 50000 hectares (123,552.6 acre) in the early 2000s. Some smaller investors, more oriented toward higher quality wines than the high-volume market, have later followed.
Wine styles and grape varieties
Red wine dominates greatly, with over 75 per cent of production. Rosé wines and vin grisVin gris
Vin gris is white wine made from red grapes, in particular pinot noir. Pinot noir is a black grape, but can also be used to make rosé, blush wine, or white wine. When the grapes are brought to the winery and crushed, the juice is run off and removed from contact with the skin, leaving the colour...
account for almost 20 per cent, and white wine for only around 3 per cent as of 2005.
The traditional red grapes planted in Morocco are Carignan (which once dominated), Cinsaut
Cinsaut
Cinsaut or Cinsault is a red wine grape, whose heat tolerance and productivity make it important in Languedoc-Roussillon and the former French colonies of Algeria and Morocco...
(almost 40 per cent in 2005), Alicante, and Grenache
Grenache
Grenache is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditions such as those found in Spain, the south of France, and California's San Joaquin Valley. It is generally spicy, berry-flavored and soft on the palate with a relatively...
. Plantations of Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
, Merlot
Merlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
and Syrah have increased rapidly, and together make up around 15 per cent. Traditional white grape varieties include Clairette
Clairette
-People:*Clairette , a French-Canadian actress and singer-Wines:*Clairette de Die AOC, a French sparkling wine appellation*Clairette blanche, a white grape variety* Clairette Ronde, synonym for the grape variety Trebbiano...
and Muscat. There has also been smaller experimentations with Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
, Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc
Chenin blanc , is a white wine grape variety from the Loire valley of France. Its high acidity means it can be used to make everything from sparkling wines to well-balanced dessert wines, although it can produce very bland, neutral wines if the vine's natural vigor is not controlled...
and Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French word sauvage and blanc due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France., a possible descendant of savagnin...
, where there is a need to pick early in order to produce white wines with sufficient freshness.
Wine regions
Morocco is divided into five wine regions. Within these wine regions are a total of 14 areas with AppellationAppellation
An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown; other types of food often have appellations as well...
d'Origine Garantie (AOG) status. In 2001, a single Appelation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) was created, Côteaux de l'Atlas 1er cru ("Atlas hills
Atlas Mountains
The Atlas Mountains is a mountain range across a northern stretch of Africa extending about through Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The highest peak is Toubkal, with an elevation of in southwestern Morocco. The Atlas ranges separate the Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines from the Sahara Desert...
"). In 2009, the first estate with a Château
Château
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
name, Château Roslane, was approved. The five wine regions, and their associated appellations, are:
- The East
- Beni Sadden AOG
- BerkaneBerkaneBerkane is a city in the northeastern Morocco in the area of Thrifa, limited by the Mediterranean to its north, the Kiss Oued and the wilaya of Oujda in the east, the wilaya of Nador in the west and the wilaya of Taourirt in the south. This common belongs to the wilaya of Oujda...
AOG - Angad AOG
- MeknèsMeknesMeknes is a city in northern Morocco, located from the capital Rabat and from Fes. It is served by the A2 expressway between those two cities and by the corresponding railway. Meknes was the capital of Morocco under the reign of Moulay Ismail , before it was relocated to Marrakech. The...
/FèsFESFES or Fes may refer to:* Fes or Fez, a city in Morocco* FES , a human gene that encodes the feline sarcoma oncogene enzyme* FES , a fictional singer from Chaos;Head anime series and alias of Yui Sakakibara for her songs from Chaos;Head and Steins;Gate anime series* Flywheel energy storage, an...
region:- Guerrouane AOG
- Beni M'tir AOG
- Saiss AOG
- Zerhoune AOG
- Coteaux de l’Atlas 1er Cru
- The Northern Plain
- Gharb AOG
- RabatRabatRabat , is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000...
/CasablancaCasablancaCasablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
Region- Chellah AOG
- Zemmour AOG
- Zaër AOG
- Zenatta AOG
- Sahel AOG
- El-Jadida Region
- Doukkala AOG