The flavor of rooibos in wine of Morocco
Discover the of Morocco wines revealing the of rooibos flavor during the olphactive analysis (nose) and during the gustative analysis (mouth).
Morocco, located in Northwestern North Africa, is an ancient kingdom whose history is as diverse as its geography. Influenced over the centuries by Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs and various modern European powers, it remains a bridge between Europe and the African continent. The Atlas Mountains, which run through the country, are all that separate the vast Sahara Desert from the cool expanses of the Atlantic. Similarly, the 16 km Strait of Gibraltar, which separates Morocco from Spain, is all that separates Islamic North Africa from Christian Southern Europe.
It was almost inevitable that a former colony of Rome and France would produce wine at some point in its history. Although the earliest evidence of Moroccan viticulture predates the Romans, it is likely that they were the first to produce wine on some scale.
After the fall of Rome, Morocco experienced centuries of Islamic rule, which naturally slowed its production of Alcohol, including wine. But interest was revived when the French increased their influence from the 1830s onwards.
In the early 20th century, Europe was sinking into world war, and Morocco also became a target for Britain and Germany. The French prevailed and established a protectorate in 1912 under the terms of the Treaty of Fez. Spain was also granted areas of interest in the north and south of the country.
Under French influence, Morocco began to make a significant contribution to the world wine industry.
In preparation for this column I tasted 46 reds in total, and – taking both quality and value into account – I can recommend 33 of them. Overall, the reds were less consistent than the whites, and although the lows were lower, the highs were higher. This tasting confirmed that it’s still possible to buy genuinely excellent northern Rhône reds for under £30 in the UK. That being said, it’s virtually impossible to find any Cornas, Côte-Rôtie or Hermitage for under £30 a bottle these days, but ther ...
Disconcerting: I couldn’t forget this bottle for days afterwards. Still can’t. Back in August, wine critic Lin Liu MW (together with her partner Philippe Lejeune of Château de Chambert in Cahors) came to dinner, en route to a short holiday in Provence. One of the bottles Lin brought for us to try together was the 2018 Les Rocheuses, Parcelles No 5 et 6, from Château Le Rey in Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux. It came in a slope-shouldered bottle, not a classic Bordeaux bottle. We tried it with some R ...
The Roussillon is home to a range of wine styles, at varying price points. Sweet fortified wines (vin doux naturel) used to dominate production, with still dry wines (vin sec) in the minority. In the last 30 years, however, this has completely changed, and vin sec now makes up the majority (80%) of the Roussillon’s output. The recent Wines of Roussillon tasting, held in London, not only highlighted many good quality dry wines being produced, but also cemented the idea that Roussillon whites are ...