GUD BLOG: SINGLE POST
A Sample of Moroccan Wine
Last week, after a trip to the farmer’s market and to Western Market here in Ferndale, I stopped in to peruse the selection at one of our local wine merchants, Elie Wine Company in Royal Oak. The proprietor is originally from Morocco, and he seemed a little more excited than usual to show me a new wine he had from Alain Graillot — produced in Morocco.
The North African country isn’t exactly renowned for its wine. There’s just not a lot of it produced let alone exported, I imagine, and for that reason, at least in part, this bottle wasn’t a bargain. But it’s not exactly a wallet scorcher either. I think the sticker price was around $25, and while there are plenty of other Mediterranean wines that are every bit as good as this for less money, this is an interesting specimen. One doesn’t get to drink Moroccan wine every day. At the very least, it’s a novelty.
But fortunately, it’s also good wine.
It’s extra ripe in the nose: plenty of berries, plum, and pleasantly burnt vegetables. There’s no significant/noticeable oak to this, and on the palate, it’s got more mineral, pepper, and tannin than I would have thought. It’s definitely a fruit-forward wine, but it’s not sweet and has lots of charm. I’d have been fooled into thinking this was Syrah from southern France. I don’t know if something is masking the African terroir or if this is what you get in that region naturally, but the results are nonetheless pretty delicious.
Name: Syrocco Zenata
Producer: Alain Graillot
Grape(s): Syrah for sure. As for anything else…?
ABV: 13.5%
2010.10.07 Evan Hansen at 12:29 am
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2 Responses to A Sample of Moroccan Wine
The Friends of the Ferndale Library and the Society of Sant Jordi are beginning to plan for an event in mid-April at the Ferndale Public Library that will feature some number of wines from Elie’s. If it follows the same format as last year, the Day of Books and Roses will feature authors, music, crepes and other delectables in addition to the wine samples. Details are scant right now, but we’ll be sure to let you know more as more becomes available. It really was a fun event that we’re trying to expand on this year, and I found myself more than willing to purchase additional tickets for the wine samples. *end plug*
Evan and I went to last year’s and drank our fair share of wine. It should be more comfortable in the new library.