Algeria

Algeria was one of the world’s leading wine producers in the 1930s when annual production of wine and wine-related products averaged 22 million hl/550 million gal, much of it exported to France, of which it was then a colony. Despite its turbulent recent history and strong islamic influence, it is now increasing wine production by about 10% a year once more. According to oiv figures for 2011, Algeria made just 627,000 hl/16.5 million gal of wine, from 77,000 ha/190,000 acres of vineyard. New initiatives, including a 10,000 ha/24,700 acre replanting programme, were begun in 1994.

1. Isnard, H., ‘Vigne et décolonisation en Algérie’, in A. Huetz de Lemps (ed.), Géographie historique des vignobles: actes du colloque de Bordeaux: octobre 1977 (Paris, 1978), vol. i.
2. Sutton, K., ‘Algeria’s vineyards: an Islamic dilemma and a problem of decolonisation’, Journal of Wine Research (1990), 101–20. www.oncv-groupe.com