History of Tunisia Wine
Introduction
Because of a shortage of suitable areas, Tunisia has the lowest apparent potential for production of modern wines of the three northern African countries. Yet its more benign political atmosphere and westernized approach to life and commerce makes it currently the most attractive for European importers. Tunisia’s wine history dates from Punic times to the power of Carthage on the north coast, but production was forbidden throughout 1,000 years of Moslem rule until French colonization in 1881. By the time of national independence in 1955 the foundations were in place for a thriving wine industry. Despite being considerably smaller than either Algeria or Morocco, Tunisia’s production rivaled theirs. However, work was still needed to repair the ravages of phylloxera, which struck in 1936 and continued to affect vineyards until the 1950s, and to meet the increasing demands for bulk wine from their sole export market, France. At the time, two appellations existed—Vin Superieur de Tunisie and Appellation Controlee Vin Muscat de Tunisie for their liqueur muscats.
Loss of the French supply contract after independence produced extreme difficulties—production was 47 million gallons (180 million l) and the volume of wine became impossible to finance or to store, so vineyards were abandoned. In 1957 the government effectively nationalized the whole industry by helping cooperatives form larger associations and introducing a four-tier classification system: Vins de Consommation Courante, Vins Superieurs, Vins de Qualite Superieure and Vins de Qualite Appellation d’Origine Controlee. Vineyards currently total 61,000 acres (25,000 ha) of which 37,000 acres (15,000 ha) grow wine grapes. Wine production is 9.8 million gallons (37.2 million l) according to the Office Internationale du Vin (OIV) and 12.6 million gallons (48 million l) according to the Tunisian Office National de la Vigne. These are generally rustic wines mainly consumed by undemanding tourists. Clean white wines and simple well-fruited reds are the best the country aspires to.
The four major growing regions are Grombalia (south of Tunis), Thibar (west of Tunis in semi-mountainous country close to the Algerian border), Bizerte-Mateur-Tebourba (on the north coast, encompassing the old vineyards of Carthage), and Kelibia-Cape Bon (on the headland east of Tunis). The association of cooperatives, Union Centrale des Cooperatives Viticoles (UCCV), controls the entire industry, except for a few private companies, the four most important of which are Lavau, Tardi, Lamblot and Chateau Feriani all in Tebourba and the hills north of Tunis. In world terms sweet muscats still command respect and dry versions are as good as anyones. Meaty red brands of acceptable quality (made mainly from carignan, grenache and cinsault) include Royal Tardi, Domaine Karim and Chateau Feriani.
Culled from “The Wine Encyclopedia”
