Moroccan wine
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Among the countries of North Africa, Morocco is considered to have the best natural potential for producing quality wines, due to its high mountains and the 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 between 1912 and 1955, the Moroccan wine industry is experiencing a revival and expansion since the 1990s due to influx of foreign investments.[1][2]
History
In the 1990s, during the rule of
Production and consumption
Wine production reached its peak under the French occupation with an output of more than 3 million hectoliters in the 1950s.
Moroccan law does not prohibit the production of beer and alcohol, but only their sale to Muslim customers. Wine can be purchased in supermarkets and some restaurants, often those that cater to tourists and visitors. Alcohol is not generally available during Islamic holidays including Ramadan, except in some outlets aimed primarily at non-Muslims.[4]
Wine styles and grape varieties
Red wine dominates greatly, with over 75 per cent of production.
The traditional red grapes planted in Morocco are
Taferielt is an indigenous Moroccan wine, table, and raisin grape.[5]
Wine regions
Morocco is divided into five wine regions. Within these wine regions are a total of 14 areas with
- The Eastern Region:
- Beni Sadden AOG
- Berkane AOG
- Angad AOG
- FèsRegion:
- Guerrouane AOG
- Beni M'tir AOG
- Saiss AOG
- Zerhoune AOG
- Coteaux de l'Atlas 1er Cru
- The Northern Plain
- Gharb AOG
- Rabat/Casablanca Region
- Chellah AOG
- Zemmour AOG
- Zaër AOG
- Zenatta AOG
- Sahel AOG
- El-JadidaRegion
- Doukkala AOG
See also
- Moroccan cuisine
- North African cuisine
- Arabic cuisine
- African cuisine
- Winemaking
References
- ^ ISBN 0-19-860990-6.
- ^ a b Moroccan wine and muslims Archived 2008-06-09 at the Wayback Machine, Decanter 2008-06-06
- ^ Castel has not yet exhausted all the potential of North Africa Archived 2011-10-02 at the Wayback Machine, Drinks Media Wire, 2006-02-09
- ^ a b c Omar Brousky (June 25, 2013). "Fine wines flourishing in Muslim Morocco". Fox News. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
- ^ A. El Oualkadi; M. Ater; Z. Messaoudi; V. Laucou; J.M. Boursiquot; T. Lacombe; P. This (2009). "Molecular Characterization of Moroccan Grapevine Germplasm Using SSR Markers for the Establishment of a Reference Collection". Journal International des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin. 43 (3).
- ^ L'histoire du vin et de la vigne au Maroc, vindumaroc.com, accessed 2010-06-29 (in French) [dead link]