Thanks so much, the_other_grape, for sending me a copy of the 1st issue of your 2021 journal! I especially appreciated the article 'Taboo or Not Taboo?' on Algeria's current stance towards wine by Arezki Ibersiene & Aghiles Ourad. Really hope there will be more! #DrinkingStudies

How do you make sense of the *extensive* Islamic wine poetry and wine-related Islamic art? For me, this book was an eye-opener. The book argues that our modern understanding of Islam is *very* different from what it historically was.

Many people may not think too deeply about the academic apparel required for their graduation ceremony. But the familiar graduation outfit worn throughout the world today originated from the Arabic clothing - thawb

A thread on Universities in Islamic history & there influence…

This fascinating #ColonialAdvert for #AlgerianWine (that I have no further information on) shows a French woman in Orientalised clothing promising buyers 'Algerian Sunshine in Your Glass'. The colours mirror the French flag. #DrinkingStudies Available via: engival.fr/const-divers-a…

Ancient wines, Qvevris, USSR, and a story of an almost disappeared culture and tradition, which certainly would have made our drinking experience poorer! Qvevri-what!?
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Learned a lot about the legacies of wine and colonialism in Lebanon and Algeria from the_other_grape tonight! Check them out if you can!

Alex Rowell hi Alex. You may be aware of this anyway but you were mentioned in a podcast on wine from the Arab world I just listened to: open.spotify.com/episode/6SFQJW…

Teaching a class this morning on what these 100-year-old condoms can show about the history of gender and empire 🧵

Our monthly newsletter went out today, which also means there is a new community spotlight interview on our blog! 🧡

This month we caught up with Aghiles Ourad, founder of the_other_grape!

Read the interview: bihospitality.co.uk/community-spot…

#beinclusivehospitality #community

Wine & Stories! How do you Decolonise wine? Come and find out the stories and tastes of some of Algeria and Lebanon's wines...

Prince of Peckham in London 15th Sep. Get your tickets here: theothergrape.co.uk/products/post-…

Procession de la Madone de Trapani à La Goulette (Tunis) aujourd'hui

A festivity that links La Goulette to Trapani in Sicily (given large Sicilian Catholic community here back in late 19/early 20th century)

On 15 August people celebrate the 'Feast of the Lady' as they call it in Lebanon (Assumption of Mary). This day also marks the beginning of the harvesting of wine grapes 🍇.

Image is from our vineyard in Jezzine (South Lebanon) - September 2021.

The real MAGA: 'Make Algerian-wine Great Again'. The story of Algerian wine is fascinating and sad. Maybe a revival is around the corner, with some help from TheOtherGrape ?

'Until 1970, [Algeria] was the world’s fourth-biggest producer and number-one exporter of wine,' writes Aghiles Ourad the_other_grape for New Lines Magazine newlinesmag.com/reportage/the-…

I recently had the chance to visit the National Museum of Fine Arts in Algiers and my heart is still full. The beauty of seeing paintings by Mohammed Racim, Baya Mahieddine, and Bachir Yelles 😍

It was a lot of fun to have written this article for New Lines Magazine. A truly fascinating topic

My latest alcoholic discovery: Floranis, a distilled liquor flavored with 'star anise', that was originally produced in Algeria. Cheers 🥂

PS: 'star anise' and 'anise' are two different things, but turns out Floranis (like araq) turns white when mixed with water.

Join our #hybrid event on Friday with @RebekahLVince on Maghrebi Jewish autobiographical narratives and Dr Farah Aboubakr on Palestinian folktales, alongside Aya Nassar on her co-edited special issue #Memory , Storytelling and Space journals.openedition.org/ema/14724?fbcl… plus the_other_grape

The Mongol Emperor had this crazy fountain built in the 13th century. It served four types of alcoholic beverages, made of grapes, mare’s milk, honey and rice. The craftsman was from France and had been captured by the Mongols in one of their European conquests.

Here's my article for MERIP that analyzes the historical entanglements among French, Israeli, and American settler colonial projects. In it, I argue that highlighting (or ignoring) these relationships has clear political stakes in the present. merip.org/2022/04/settle…