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

Phoenicians Phoenicians were an ancient Semitic group of people who lived in the Phoenician city-states along a coastal strip in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily modern Lebanon and the Syrian coast. They developed a maritime civi ...

and

Carthage Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classic ...

. The agronomist Mago that lived in the city of

, wrote a treaty about agronomy and viticulture, from which its techniques are still used until this day. Despite the arrival of a Muslim power since the 7th century AD, viticulture and wine production never quite disappeared from Tunisia.Pascal Airault et Sonia Mabrouk, « L'offensive internationale des vins du Maghreb », ''Jeune Afrique'', 11 mai 2008, pp. 75-77Frida Dahmani, « Les crus prennent de la bouteille », ''Jeune Afrique'', 4 juillet 2010, p. 50

Rosé wine A rosé () is a type of wine that incorporates some of the color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the skin contact method ...

accounts for a large proportion of the

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

n production.

History

Sousse mosaic palm tree.JPG, Vine and palm Villa rustica Tabarka.jpg, Mosaic of the ''villa rustica'' of

Tabarka Tabarka ( ') is a coastal town located in north-western Tunisia, close to the Algeria–Tunisia border, border with Algeria. Tabarka was occupied at various times by Punic people, Punics, Greeks, Roman people, Romans, Arabs, Genoa, Genoese and O ...

Henchir choud el battal pressoir vin Saladin.jpg, Reconstruction of a wine press near Fériana Triumph of Bacchus - Sousse.jpg, Mosaic of the ''Triumph of Bacchus'' in Sousse Archaeological Museum Sousse museum mosaic kitchen.jpg, Basket of grapes Wine production in today's Tunisia was probably introduced by the

when Carthage was established. The Carthaginian agronomist Mago wrote on viticulture, and his works, which were later translated from

Punic The Punic people, usually known as the Carthaginians (and sometimes as Western Phoenicians), were a Semitic people who migrated from Phoenicia to the Western Mediterranean during the Early Iron Age. In modern scholarship, the term ''Punic'' ...

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

, were quoted by later Roman writers such as

Columella Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella (, Arabic: ) was a prominent Roman writer on agriculture in the Roman Empire. His in twelve volumes has been completely preserved and forms an important source on Roman agriculture and ancient Roman cuisin ...

. Wine production continued after the Romans occupied Carthage in 146 BC. After Tunisia's conquest by Arabs in the 8th century AD, wine production was reduced but not eliminated. Subsequent to the

French conquest of Tunisia The French conquest of Tunisia occurred in two phases in 1881: the first (28 April – 12 May) consisting of the invasion and securing of the country before the signing of a treaty of protection, and the second (10 June – 28 October) consistin ...

in 1881, large-scale wine production was introduced into the country, similar to the other North African countries. After Tunisia's independence in 1956, wine production continued but lack of expertise became a problem, and vineyard area slowly decreased. From the late 1990s, Tunisia has seen foreign investment in its wine industry from several European countries, and production is slowly increasing in the 2000s.

Production

In 2008, there were of vineyards in Tunisia, of which just over half was dedicated to wine, and the rest mostly to the production of

table grape Table grapes are grapes intended for consumption as fresh fruit, as opposed to grapes grown for wine production, Juicing, juice production, jelly and jam making, or for drying into raisins. ''Vitis vinifera'' table grapes can be in the form of e ...

s. In the early 2000s, the wine production in Tunisia consisted of 60–70 per cent rosé, 25–30 per cent red and under 10 per cent white. Tunisia produces annually between 300 and 400 thousands hectoliters of wine, growing by 40% since 2002 with a peak of 600 thousands hectoliters in 2007. The yearly Tunisian local consumption averages by citizen. Exportation amounts up to 40% of the revenues of the sector reaching $40.3 million in 2009.

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

are the main clients, with some quantities also exported to

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and some countries of eastern Europe like

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. The production is commercialized at 70% with the label "AOC" among which 20% are further labelled « premier cru ».

Wine regions

Most of the Tunisian wine production is located in Cap Bon and the surrounding area. Tunisia has an Appellation Contrôlée (AOC) system consisting of the following seven AOCs,Les zônes AOC de Tunisie
GIFruits, accessed 2012-10-28 which are protected under the geographical indications in Tunisia and internationally in the parties to the

Lisbon Agreement for the Protection of Appellations of Origin and their International Registration The Lisbon Agreement for the Protection of Appellations of Origin and their International Registration, signed on 31 October 1958, ensures that in member countries, appellations of origin receive protection when are protected in their country o ...

(except Iran). * Grand Cru Mornag * Mornag * Coteau de Tébourba * Sidi Salem * Kélibia * Thibar * Côteaux d’Utique

Grape varieties

Tunisia shares most of its common grape varieties with southern France with local varieties. Common grape varieties (which have local variations) for rosé and red wine include

Carignan Carignan (; also known as Mazuelo, Bovale Grande, Cariñena, Carinyena, Samsó, Carignane, and Carignano) is a red grape variety of Spanish origin that is more commonly found in French wine but is widely planted throughout the western Medite ...

, Mourvèdre,

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, Lebanon, and Morocco. It is often blended with grapes such as Grenache an ...

Alicante Bouschet 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 (itself a cross of the very old variety Teinturier du Cher and Aramon) and Grenache.Grenache Grenache (; ) or Garnacha () is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. Niels Lillelund: ''Rhône-Vinene'' p. 25, JP Bøger – JP/Politikens Forlagshus A/S, 2004. . It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry condi ...

Syrah Syrah (), also known as Shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. In 1999, Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse ...

and

Merlot Merlot ( ) is a dark-blue-colored wine grape variety that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of , the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color ...

, and for white wines

Muscat of Alexandria Muscat of Alexandria is a white wine grape that is a member of the Muscat family of ''Vitis vinifera''. It is considered an "ancient vine", and wine experts believe it is one of the oldest genetically unmodified vines still in existence.J. Robi ...

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, ; ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new a ...

and Pedro Ximenez.

References

External links