call me a wine-o if you like, but I can't imagine not having wine with dinner especially on vacation (50th birthday). I also like a glass with lunch.

After reading some of the trip reports and hearing about tea with dinner I thought I should ask.

Moroccan wine is quite drinkable, even if it's not about the win awards any time soon. I found the red to be better than the white. Wine and cocktails were available in tourist-oriented restaurants and hotels I visited in Marrakech and Essiaouria. Cocktails, in particularly, were quite pricey....like $10+. Wine prices were less.

There are also liquor/wine stores where you can pick up a bottle, but I didn't try that as most were closed for Ramadan when I was there in September.

Hi SashieZ, our family travelled to Morocco in 2007 and I don't recall that we had alcohol with any meal at a restaurant.

We were, however, able to purchase alcohol and take it back to our hotel room. I vividly remember going to the supermarket in Rabat - underneath was the 'Alcohol Cave' where you could purchase a range of alcoholic beverages. It was huge and there was a constant stream of customers. In Marrakech we were able to purchase alcohol but not allowed to drink it in the courtyard of the riad we were staying in. It was okay to take it to the room.

Hope this has been of some help to you. I'm sure you'll have a fantastic time celebrating your birthday in Morocco - it is an amazing country.

make that "about to win".... and no I'm not drinking at the moment!

Hi four_maccas,

It's strange you couldn't drink wine with you meals in restaurants. Every touristy restaurant you go to serves alcohol except around the main square in marrakech.
You probably wern't allowed to drink wine in the courtyard of your riad because the riad owner or manager thought you should have ordered it from the riad.
By the way, like everywhere else in the world, alcohol is much cheaper in super markets.

thanks for your replies...

I did read about some vineyards in Morocco so I would assume wine would be served in restaurants. What about French or Italian wines? Is it possible to order a bottle of French wine at a restaurant in Marrakesh?

thanks again

Sashie (who loves her wine)

yes, a big wine cart is available in major restaurants and hotels, especially french.