The history of wine production in Morocco dates back millennia, intertwining with the region's cultural and economic dynamics. Morocco's viticulture can be traced to the Phoenicians, who introduced grape cultivation to the region around 1,000 BCE. The spread of Islam in the 7th century AD brought significant changes to Morocco's wine industry. Islamic law prohibited alcohol consumption, leading to a decline in wine production. However, under Islamic rule, viticulture persisted in certain regions, particularly among non-Muslim communities and in areas with significant European influence.
The 19th century marked a revival of Morocco's wine industry under French and Spanish colonial influence. European settlers reintroduced modern winemaking techniques and established large vineyards in regions such as Meknes and the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. This period saw the emergence of Moroccan wine as a significant export commodity, particularly to European markets.
Morocco gained independence in 1956, bringing new challenges to its wine industry. Conservative policies in subsequent decades imposed restrictions on alcohol production and consumption. Many vineyards were abandoned or repurposed, leading to a decline in the industry's prominence.
The late 20th century witnessed a resurgence in Morocco's wine industry, driven by economic reforms and a growing interest in tourism. Located in the Zenata region near Casablanca, Domaine Ouled Thaleb stands as a beacon of Morocco's burgeoning wine industry. This winery has a storied legacy dating back to the 1920s, when it was founded by a Belgian group during the period of the French protectorate (1912 to 1956). Under the leadership of Brahim Zniber, the family-owned winery underwent significant modernization and expansion. Zniber introduced state-of-the-art viticultural practices and invested in advanced winemaking technology, elevating the quality of their wines to international standards. Today, it represents a fusion of traditional winemaking practices with modern viticultural techniques, showcasing the unique terroir of the region.
Grape Collective talks with winemaker Stephane Marriot of Domaine Ouled Thaleb about the unique story of wine in Morocco. The interview was conducted in French and translated into English.
Stephane, how did you come to work as a winemaker in Morocco?
I came to Morocco in 2004 as part of the Zniber group. I started at Château Roslane in 2004 until the end of 2009, leaving in order to join the Thalvin cellar at the Ouled Thaleb estate starting in early 2010. So it's been 14 years that I've been director, in charge of the winery, here at the Ouled Thaleb estate. So as an oenologist with the responsibility for vinification right through to bottling.
(Stephane Marriot)
Morocco is my first experience in a foreign vineyard. I'm French for the record. I started in the ‘90s by the Val-de-Loire vineyards, with a little experience as a wine merchant at first, and basic cellar tasks. Then I moved to the Jura, where I learned a lot about the job thanks to my former cellar master. In the Jura, at the Caveau des Jacobins, we used to make wine in an old chapel. It was a lot of fun. After that, I had another experience in another larger winery in the Jura, before finally leaving the Jura and France and arriving in Morocco in 2004.
Talk about Domaine Ouled Thaleb.
The Ouled Thaleb estate is not just a wine estate, but also a cereal-growing estate. There are also many eucalyptus forests. There are also around twenty small villages, commonly known as the Douar, where most of our employees live, in the different villages around. Of the 2,000 hectares of the Ouled Thaleb estate, around 220 hectares are planted with vines. Last year, in 2023, we celebrated the centenary of this Ouled Thaleb estate. In fact, the first vines here were planted 100 years ago by a Belgian family. Historically, the construction of the winery dates back to 1926.The first vinifications took place in 1926.
What sort of terroir do you find in Morocco?
In Morocco, we are fortunate to have very diverse terroirs. Most of the vineyards are clay-limestone but with different components, depending on the level of clay or sand. It's all very different. Here at Domaine Ouled Thaleb we're lucky to have 220 hectares of our own vineyards, but we also buy grapes from various winegrowers with whom we have contracts.
These different winemakers, who today number more than twenty, are located in different regions of Morocco, with different terroirs. We have them in the Meknes region, we have them in the Rharb region, north of Rabat. We have some close to the Boulaouane region, and some in the Marrakech region, so each has its own character, with different climates, different sub-soils, which gives us a real richness of terroirs. And that's where we can really have fun, vinifying different grape varieties from different terroirs so as to have a really interesting palette, and then, afterwards, make our different blends. There are hardly any indigenous grape varieties left today. But our own wine sector, in other words, Thalvin and the Ouled Thaleb estate are an integral part of the wine and spirit sector, which includes the distribution branch, but also other wineries in Meknes. And this sector represents around 75% of the Moroccan market.
Do you work with indigenous varieties?
We have a research unit, and we're also developing viticulture. And not necessarily to look for the indigenous grape varieties that we once had, but to test many varieties that would be better able to withstand our current climate change challenges. So less and less water, of course, more and more heat, no, but more linked with this real lack of water, and therefore grape varieties better able to resist longer droughts. So we have an experimental unit based in Meknes. We have a small experimental vineyard, with a multitude of different grape varieties including varieties from countries hotter than Morocco, or other countries further ahead of us, but we're trying to come up with this approach to mitigate climate change.
Wine has a long history in Morocco.
Well, before Morocco we often talk about the Egyptians, the Phoenicians, the Romans, yes indeed. So that's a few thousand years ago. I thought I'd heard that it was in Georgia, 8,000 years ago, that it was discovered that there were vines through archaeological digs that represented vines. So it's been 8,000 years since vines were first produced. Grapes can be eaten, but they can also be easily transformed into alcohol, and consequently into wine. So, yes, this famous beverage has been around for many, many years.
In Morocco, traces of vines have also been found at the Volubilis site near Meknes, an ancient Roman city that can be visited by tourists. So in Morocco as well, it doesn't date back to today, at least to Roman times. And particularly, I think, the century that left its mark on vines and wine in Morocco was the 20th century, with the arrival of the French and Belgians, especially the French under the protectorate. Here in Thalvin, it was Belgians who planted the first vines for the Ouled Thaleb estate. But there was a real boom in planting under the French protectorate. And it was at the end of the protectorate that many vineyards were more or less abandoned, because many of these French people left the country fairly quickly. And it was our dear president and founder, Mr. Brahim Zniber, who almost single-handedly revived this viticulture in Morocco after the departure of the French.
He started with the Château Roslane winery in Meknes, where he worked with local politicians to promote the cultivation of Moroccan vines and wines, which were initially exported almost entirely to France and Europe, in order to improve the quality of the wines in those countries, particularly in terms of color. In fact, they were called “doctor wines.” And one thing leading to another, after the restructuring of the vineyards launched by Mr. Brahim Zniber, others resettled. I know of children of former French nationals who had left the country and returned to Morocco to relaunch small estates.
Talk about the different grapes you work with.
Today, there are around 15 different estates in the country. So at the Thalvin winery, we see a multitude of grape varieties, at least twenty, I don't even count them anymore, but at least 20 different grape varieties between white and red, and each with different characteristics. But mainly, in my opinion, in reds, the winner is the Syrah variety. The Syrah grape variety is, I think, very well adapted to our terroir, our climate and our way of doing things. We're really expressing its potential and producing some really lovely products. Today, Thalvin is exported worldwide, and we cover a lot of countries with this product. Moroccan Syrah, via Thalvin, can be found in a multitude of countries around the world. And locally, in 100% Syrah, we also have S de Siroua, which we regularly present at international competitions and often wins a few medals.
After that, all varieties have their own characteristics, and what's interesting with the many grape varieties we can vinify, is that we can eventually make up, through blending, for a little flax defect or lack, not a defect, but a rebalancing. That's what blending is all about, really trying to find a balance in the finished wine. So one year, it's going to be 10% Cabernet, another year, it's going to be a little less or more. But it's really this richness in the blends that allows us to make a palette of very different wines.
What place does wine have in an Islamic society in Morocco?
A lot of people from outside, who don't live in Morocco, often ask me how much I export and how much is drunk locally, etc. Of course, they know very little about life in Morocco and what goes on here. They're often astonished by my answer, because almost all our production is consumed locally. People think that it's tourists who consume, but they certainly represent a significant proportion, but there really is a local consumption that is ignored outside our borders.
And I find that local people's approach to this type of consumption is changing over the years. And there's a growing interest around me. Really, there's this approach to tasting, to the product, to quality and to enjoying wine. And I really think this is a step in the right direction. It's my job to give pleasure with wine. And that's really what I feel around me. It's subjective, I don't know everything that's going on in the country, of course, but from my 20 years of experience, I really feel that there's been a change in consumption. Rather, 20 years ago, it was a minority who were interested in the product. Otherwise, it was bought to consume in terms of alcohol.
But now, the approach to wine seems to me to be regaining momentum in the right direction, with consumption becoming more and more interesting, with more and more enthusiasts looking into the subject.
You have an interesting collaboration with a famous Rhône winemaker.
Among our rich palette of different wines, we have one that's, shall we say, rather special for the record. So there was Mr. Alain Graillot, a winemaker in the Côtes-du-Rhône, in Crozes-Hermitage to be precise, who was very attached to Morocco. And in 2005, on a bicycle tour of Morocco, he made a detour via the Thalvin winery. And at the time, the cellar manager, my friend Jacques Poulin, welcomed him. The two of them got to talking, and as the discussion progressed, they thought of creating a joint product.
So Alain Graillot, winemaker in the Côtes-du-Rhône, with the Syrah grape par excellence, we, with a Syrah that does very well here in Morocco, created the Tandem brand in 2005 (known as Syrocco in the USA). The Tandem brand is the result of a partnership between the Cave de Thalvin and winemaker Alain Graillot. We grow Syrah grapes here, and Mr Graillot visits twice a year to do tastings together. Together, we create the Tandem, which is then matured. At the end of ageing, another tasting is carried out to validate the final blend.
And then, of course, the Tandem is distributed locally. It's doing very well, by the way, with very good connoisseurs. And so Mr. Graillot uses his distribution network to resell it worldwide, with numerous customers in many countries.
Is tourism an important pathway for people to experience Moroccan wine?
So, yes, of course, Morocco is much-visited, especially, let's say, for its imperial cities, Rabat, Fès, Meknes, Marrakech, with their cultural wealth, but also their gastronomy. In these various imperial cities, some very pretty places, really worth the detour, "riads" as well call them, there are very pretty establishments in terms of catering. And as far as we're concerned, we've really set up a marketing department and a sales department in our distribution chain, to link the culinary arts with the products we produce, and to blend them to perfection.
What is your philosophy of winemaking?
My philosophy? If I had to sum up my job a little, and everything that goes on around vines and wine, to put it very simply, I'd say passion and sharing.
What are your hopes for the future of wine in Morocco?
So our wines and the wines of my friends and competitors, there are a few of us, but not many. About fifteen representatives, let's say, from different wineries, with some very, very nice products. So Moroccan wines have a bit of a place outside our borders, but in my opinion not enough. And it's not just our cellars, it's everyone's business.But it's a bit difficult to get to know them, and I think there's still a bit of a prejudice.
