Algerian wine

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Location (in red box) of Algeria's main wine producing areas. Algerian wine regions.JPG
Location (in red box) of Algeria's main wine producing areas.
Location of Algeria LocationAlgeria.svg
Location of Algeria

Algerian wine is wine cultivated and bottled in Algeria. It 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 the Roman empire. Prior to the Algerian War of Independence (1954-1962), Algeria was the largest wine exporter in the world, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the total international wine trade. [1]

Contents

Algeria has a long history of wine production dating back to the Roman era. During the late 19th century, Algeria's wine production peaked and it became the largest wine-producing country in the world, with an annual production of over 3 billion liters of wine. At the time, Algeria was a French colony and much of the wine produced in Algeria was exported to France to be used for blending with French wines. [2] [3]

Most Algerian wine production takes place in the regions of Mascara, Mostaganem, and Tiaret, which are located in the northwest of the country. The most commonly grown grape varieties in Algeria include Carignan, Grenache, Cinsault, and Alicante Bouschet, which are used to produce both red and rosé wines. [4]

Algerian wines are known for their deep color, rich aroma, and full-bodied flavor. The climate and soil in Algeria are well-suited for grape cultivation, with warm, sunny summers and mild winters. In 2019, Algeria produced approximately 500,000 hectoliters of wine, making it one of the largest wine-producing countries in Africa. Most of this wine is exported to other countries, including France, Italy, and Spain, where it is used for blending and sold under other labels. [5]

With as much land under vineyards as the countries of Germany and South Africa, Algeria continues to maintain a wine industry with over 70 wineries in operation.

Despite the challenges facing the Algerian wine industry, there is a growing interest in producing higher quality wines and promoting Algerian wine as a unique and distinct product. Some producers are experimenting with new grape varieties and modern winemaking techniques, while others are focusing on marketing their wines to a domestic audience. As a result, there may be potential for growth and innovation in Algerian wine production in the future. [6]

History

The roots of Algerian winemaking can be traced to the settlement of the Phoenicians and the influences of nearby Carthage. Under Roman rule, winemaking continued until its decline after the Muslim conquest of North Africa in the 7th and 8th centuries. During this time the wine industry was severely limited due to the prohibition of alcohol under Islamic dietary laws. When Algeria came under French rule in 1830 vineyards were replanted in order to serve the needs of the local pieds-noir . When the phylloxera epidemic destroyed the French vineyards in the mid-19th century, Algerian wine exports into France filled the void. [7] An influx of winemakers from the German wine region of Baden brought with them more modern winemaking techniques and helped to increase the overall quality of Algerian wine. Even after the French resumed normal levels of wine production, Algerian wine was still widely used in regions like the Languedoc as a blending component that added color and strength to the wines. [6]

The high point of the Algerian wine industry came in the late 1930s when over 4,000 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi) was producing more 2,100 megalitres (550,000,000 US gal) of wine. By the 1950s, together with Tunisia and Morocco, Algerian wine accounted for nearly two thirds of the wine that was internationally traded. To a large extent, Algerian red wine was used for blending with red wine from the south of France, since Algerian wine was deeper in colour and higher in alcohol than the French wines produced from Aramon grapes. [6] The dominant grape variety in Algeria at this time was Carignan, which only overtook Aramon in southern France in the 1960s. [8]

By the time of Algerian independence in 1962, over a dozen areas were granted Vin Délimité de Qualité Superieure (VDQS) status by the French. Following independence, the wine industry was hard hit by the loss of the French settlers and the French army who provided a sizable domestic market for the wine. France also greatly reduced the amount of exports it was accepting, forcing Algerian wineries to look elsewhere for a market. In 1969, the Soviet Union agreed to buy 500 megalitres (130,000,000 US gal) a year till 1975 at prices far below market value for the wines. Many Algerian government officials thought it was inappropriate for an Islamic country to be so economically dependent on alcohol production and encouraged vineyard owners to convert their land into other agricultural crops such as cereal or table grapes. Urban expansion in areas such as the fertile Mitidja plain behind Algiers further reduced the number of vineyards in Algeria. At the turn of the 21st century, efforts were underway to revive the Algerian wine industry but so far very little Algerian wine is on the international market. [6]

Climate and wine regions

All of Algeria's vineyards are located in the Hauts Plateaux region extending towards the Moroccan border. Bordering the sea, this region has a typical Mediterranean climate with mild winters and dry, hot summers and is very similar to the southern wine regions of Spain. Rainfall averages around 600 millimetres (24 in) in the regions east of Algiers to 400 millimetres (16 in) in the western regions closer to Morocco. The main wine producing areas are located in the provinces of Aïn Témouchent, Mascara, Mostaganem, Sidi Bel Abbès and Tlemcen. Algeria's Office National de Commercialisation des Produits Viti-vinicoles (ONCV) list seven quality wine production zones that may appear on Algerian wine labels. [6]

Grapes and wine

During the peak of Algerian wine production, the main grapes of the region was Carignan, Cinsaut and Alicante Bouschet. Despite not having Pinot noir or otherwise resembling Burgundian wine, blends of these grapes were often mislabeled as burgundy. In recent times, Clairette blanche and Ugni blanc have become the dominant grape varieties with some smaller plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Mouvedre and Syrah. Algerian wines are characterized by their overripe fruit, high alcohol and low acidity. The grapes often go through a short fermentation process and are bottled after little to no oak aging. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alicante Bouschet</span> Variety of grape

Alicante Bouschet or Alicante Henri Bouschet is a wine grape variety that has been widely cultivated since 1866. It is a cross of Petit Bouschet and Grenache. Alicante is a teinturier, a grape with red flesh. It is one of the few teinturier grapes that belong to the Vitis vinifera species. Its deep colour makes it useful for blending with light red wine. It was planted heavily during Prohibition in California for export to the East Coast. Its thick skin made it resistant to rot during the transportation process. The intense red color was also helpful for stretching the wine during prohibition, as it could be diluted without detracting from the appearance. At the turn of the 21st century, Alicante Bouschet was the 12th most planted red wine grape in France with sizable plantings in the Languedoc, Provence and Cognac regions. In 1958, Alicante Bouschet covered 24,168 hectares ; by 2011, plantings represented less than 4,000 hectares. This scenario is largely reversed in other regions of Europe, and in southern Portugal, where its wines are highly prized and frequently outscore traditional autochthonous varieties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carignan</span> Red wine grape variety

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grenache</span> Red wine grape

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">New World wine</span> Wine produced outside the traditional wine-growing areas of Europe and the Middle East

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tannat</span> Red wine grape variety

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">French wine</span> Wine making in France

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian wine</span> Wine making in Australia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spanish wine</span> Wine making in Spain

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Languedoc-Roussillon wine</span> Classification of wine produced in southern France

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aramon (grape)</span> Variety of grape

Aramon or Aramon noir is a variety of red wine grape grown primarily in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France. Between the late 19th century and the 1960s, it was France's most grown grape variety, but plantings of Aramon have been in continuous decline since the mid-20th century. Aramon has also been grown in Algeria, Argentina and Chile but nowhere else did it ever reach the popularity it used to have in the south of France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catalan wine</span> Wine produced in Catalonia, Spain

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Provence wine</span> French wine from Provence

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corsican wine</span> Regional French wine

Corsica wine is wine made on the Mediterranean island of Corsica. Located 90 km west of Italy, 170 km southeast of France and 11 km north of the island of Sardinia, the island is a territorial collectivity of France, but many of the region's winemaking traditions and its grape varieties are Italian in origin. The region's viticultural history can be traced to the island's settlement by Phoceans traders in 570 BC in what is now the commune of Aléria. In the 18th century, the island came under the control of France. Following the independence of Algeria from French rule, many Algerian Pieds-Noirs immigrated to Corsica and began planting vineyards. Between 1960 and 1976 the vineyard area in Corsica increased fourfold. In 1968, Patrimonio was established as Corsica's first Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC). Today, Corsica has nine AOC regions including the island-wide designation Vin de Corse AOC. The majority of the wine exported from Corsica falls under the Vin de pays designation Vin de Pays de l'Île de Beauté. The three leading grape varieties of the region are Nielluccio (Sangiovese), known as the spice wine of France, Sciacarello and Vermentino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint-Chinian AOC</span>

The Saint-Chinian is a French wine, from the Languedoc-Roussillon wine region of France. It is usually a blend of several grape varieties, and produced in red, rosé, and white versions. Since 1982, the name is protected by an appellation d'origine contrôlée. Its terroir was named after the nearby village of Saint-Chinian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moroccan wine</span> Wine making in Morocco

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.

Petit Bouschet is a red teinturier grape variety that is a crossing of Aramon noir and Teinturier du Cher created in 1824 by French grape breeder Louis Bouschet at his vineyard in Mauguio in the Hérault department. The grape was used by Louis' son, Henri Bouschet, to create several more varieties including Alicante Bouschet, Grand Noir de la Calmette and Morrastel Bouschet. Petit Bouschet saw a surge of plantings in the late 19th century as France recovered from the phylloxera epidemic where it was often used to add color to blends made from hybrid grapes and other high yielding varieties. As its offspring Alicante Bouschet became more popular, plantings of Petit Bouschet fell off and the grape is now hardly found in France.

Peruvian wine dates back to the Spanish colonization of the region in the 16th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tunisian wine</span> Wine making in Tunisia

Tunisian wine has a long history dating back to the Antiquity like most Mediterranean countries with the Phoenicians and Carthage.

References

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  2. Finn, Katie (2020-11-17). "Vine Social: A Look Back at the Time When the World's Largest Producer of Wine Was … Algeria?". Coachella Valley Independent. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  3. Meloni, Giulia; Swinnen, Johan (2014). "The Rise and Fall of the World's Largest Wine Exporter—And Its Institutional Legacy". Journal of Wine Economics. 9 (1): 3–33. doi:10.1017/jwe.2014.3. hdl: 10419/74974 . ISSN   1931-4361. S2CID   232395699.
  4. "Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: "Algeria"". www.fao.org. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  5. "International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) Statistical Report on World Vitiviniculture 2020". www.oiv.int. p. 32. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
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  7. Becuwe, Stéphane; Blancheton, Bertrand; Maveyraud, Samuel (2022). "New evidence on wine in French international trade (1848–1913): Import discrimination as export quality promotion". The Economic History Review. 75 (4): 1242–1269. doi:10.1111/ehr.13156. ISSN   0013-0117. S2CID   247210955.
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