Sidi Brahim is a range of branded wines produced in the Atlas mountains, first in Algeria, then in Morocco and now in Tunisia. The wines are blended and bottled or filled into bag-in-boxes in France, and are primarily sold there. It was the second-best selling foreign wine in France, behind Boulaouane (also a Castel brand), as of 2005.[1] The production volume is around three million bottles annually.[2] The wine has been named after the Battle of Sidi-Brahim (1845).
The brand is currently owned by Groupe Castel,[3] which acquired it (and Malesan) in 2003 from William Pitters, a company founded by Bernard Magrez.[4] Magrez/Pitters in turn bought it in 1982.[5] The label of the red wine bottle states that it is "harvested by hand since 1924".
The grape composition of Sidi Brahim and the range of wines offered has varied throughout the years, but in 2010 the composition is indicated as the following:
- Red wine: Cabernet Sauvignon (50%), Syrah (30%), and Merlot (20%).[6]
- Rosé wine: Cinsault (40%) and Grenache gris (60%).[7]
- White wine: Chardonnay (100%).[8]
The blend of the red wine has previously included traditional grown varieties of North Africa (which it used to share with Languedoc-Roussillon), such as Alicante, Aramon, Carignan, Cinsault, and Grenache. The current composition is more "New World-like".
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Castel has not yet exhausted all the potential of North Africa Archived 2011-10-02 at the Wayback Machine, Drinks Media Wire, 2006-02-09
- ^ "China and Russia are my priorities" (interview with Pierre Castel), Sud-Ouest Blogs/Bordeaux Wine News 2009-04-21
- ^ Groupe Castel: Sidi Brahim Archived 2011-05-15 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 2010-06-28 (in French)
- ^ Pitters sold to Marie Brizard Archived 2009-04-16 at the Wayback Machine, Decanter.com 2005-02-09
- ^ Bernard Magrez - Le “compositeur de vins rares” se dévoile Archived 2006-05-01 at archive.today, Objectif Aquitaine, accessed 2010-06-28 (in French)
- ^ Sidi Brahim: Notre rouge Archived 2010-02-27 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 2010-06-28 (in French)
- ^ Sidi Brahim: Notre rosé Archived 2010-05-13 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 2010-06-28 (in French)
- ^ Sidi Brahim: Notre rosé Archived 2010-05-13 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 2010-06-28 (in French)
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