Moroccan Wine Tasting in Marrakech — Meknès & Beyond

About this experience

Few visitors expect it, but Morocco makes wine, and has done since antiquity, with a modern industry that revived strongly from the 1990s. The heart of it is the Meknès–Zerhoun region on the northern plains, where the altitude and climate suit vines; this is home to appellations such as Guerrouane and Beni M'Tir and to historic estates like Domaine des Ouled Thaleb (the Thalvin group), one of the country's oldest working wineries. A tasting in Marrakech brings those bottles to the glass with someone to explain them.

A guided flight typically moves through the styles Morocco does well. The country is especially known for its vin gris — a pale, dry "grey" rosé pressed from red grapes that is Morocco's summer staple — alongside structured reds built on Mediterranean varieties such as Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault and Carignan, and a smaller number of whites. Your host talks you through each pour: the region, the grapes, how to nose and taste, and how Moroccan wines sit alongside the food, from grilled meats to tagines.

Because Morocco is a Muslim country, alcohol is sold and served only at licensed venues — hotels, licensed restaurants, wine bars and certain shops — and this tasting is held at exactly such a place, whether a hotel bar, a rooftop lounge or a licensed restaurant. That framing is part of the story your host tells: how the industry operates, who drinks the wine, and how it has quietly grown into a serious export, particularly to France.

The session pairs the wines with small bites — cheese, olives, bread and other nibbles that flatter the styles — and welcomes both curious beginners and confident wine drinkers. It is a relaxed, adults-only hour or two that adds an unexpected dimension to Marrakech and sends you home able to spot a good Moroccan bottle.