Viticulture in Algeria
The Algerian wine goes as in many Mediterranean countries to the Phoenicians and Greeks back. Later on, the Romans cultivated large amounts of wine. With the spread of Islam , wine production almost came to a standstill and was converted to table grapes .
Wine production only developed again during the French colonial period . In 1938 it reached its peak with 21,000,000 hectoliters. This represented at the same time a third of the total French wine production and an important segment in the Algerian economy. With the independence of Algeria a large part of the export market disappeared. At the same time, many French people left Algeria, which also meant that much of the knowledge about viticulture disappeared. This started a serious crisis in this branch of the economy. For a few years the USSR then took off about a quarter of its production.
Most of the colonial viticulture produced simple bulk wine, which was mainly exported to France and the rest of Europe for blending.
Today table grapes and 500,000 hectoliters of wine are produced on an area of 69,000 hectares. According to the Algerian Wine Law, the wine-growing regions are divided into seven appellations, all of which are located in coastal areas. The climate is quite mild in winter, while summers are dry and hot. Based on the French wine law, the Office national de commercialization des produits viticoles (ONCV) awards the AOG rating . The ONCV is a state marketing organization for agricultural products and also takes on a large part of the processing, bottling and export of the wine. It reports to the Ministry of Agriculture. Mainly very old vines with the preferred grape varieties Carignan , Alicante Bouschet , Cinsaut and Grenache are used . In addition to these, the French also brought Aramon , Gamay and various pinots to Algeria.
Virtually all wineries are grouped into cooperatives that span vast areas. These cooperatives are under state supervision. One of the largest cooperatives is the Union des Cooperatives des Viticulteures (COOPEVIT), on whose wineries around 10,000 people work. In recent years there have been efforts to increase the export of Algerian wine. This goes hand in hand with qualitative improvements, and the cooperatives were also able to achieve a small degree of independence.
Wine-growing areas
The appellations with the predicate AOG are:
Near Algiers (Algérois)
- Haut Dahra : Area around Algiers , the vineyards are at an altitude of approx. 600 m . The grape varieties for the white wine are: Clairette pointue, Maccabeo, Grenache Blanc , Furmint . The following grape varieties are used for the red wine: Cinsault, Carignan, Grenache, Pinot Noir , Syrah , Morastel, Alicante Bouschet.
- Ain-Bessem-Bouira : Area southeast of Algiers near the cities of Ain-Bessem and Bouira. The soils contain limestone and slate. The vineyards are at an altitude of 500 m. Strong red wines as well as high-alcohol and fruity rosé wines are produced. The grape varieties for the white wine are: Clairette pointue, Tizourine bou afrara, Farhana, El-Maoui, Maccabeo. The following grape varieties are used for the red wine: Cinsault, Carignan, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon , Pinot Noir, Alicante Bouschet.
- Côteaux du Zaccar : Near Miliana , in the southwest of Algiers. The wines grow on clay and limestone soils at an altitude between 400 and 900 m. The grape varieties for the white wine are: Clairette pointue, Tizourine bou afrara, Farhana, El-Maoui, Macabeo, Chardonnay: The following grape varieties are used for the red wine: Cinsault , Carignan, Grenache, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Alicante Bouschet.
In the Médéa area
- Médéa : This area is located south of Algiers. The vineyards are located at an altitude of 600 to 1200 m and have mainly sandy or marl-containing soils. The grape varieties include those from Côteaux du Zaccar and the white wines also include Merseguerra and Furmint. The red wines also include the varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc , Mourvèdre , Pinot Noir, Morastel and Alicante-Bouschet.
Around Oran (Oranie)
- Côteaux de Mascara : fine wines are made here on a limestone plateau. If the vineyards are low (approx. 200 m), they are called "mascara". On the other hand, they are called "côteaux de Mascara" when the vineyards are at an altitude of 600 to 800 m. Grape varieties for the white wine are: Clairette pointue, Tizourine bou arara, Farrana, El Maoui, Furmint, Chardonnay . However, mainly red wine is made from the grape varieties Cinsault, Carignan, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon. The red wine is very full-bodied and high in alcohol (13–15.5%), almost black and is very valued as a cover wine in Northern Europe because of these properties.
Further appellations
- Monts du Tessalah
- Coteaux de Tlemcen