Algeria's most historically prestigious wine region, located in the highlands around the city of Mascara in the Tell Atlas mountains west of Algiers at 800–1,200 meters elevation. Mascara produces deeply colored, tannic wines from Cinsault, Carignan, Grenache, and Mourvèdre grown on limestone and clay soils — wines that were legally blended into Burgundy and Bordeaux in the 19th–20th centuries to add color and body. Algeria was once the world's fourth largest wine exporter (1930s), producing over 20 million hectoliters annually for the French market. Today a small but reviving wine industry produces wines of genuine character for domestic Christians, tourists, and export markets.
| Year | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | — | Best vintage in decade; Mascara terroir demonstrating potential for quality revival. |
| 2022 | — | Reliable vintage; Algerian wine industry slowly rebuilding export capacity. |
| 2021 | — | Strong season; Mascara wine attracting food tourism alongside Tlemcen and the Sahara route. |
| 2020 | — | Steady year; domestic Algerian wine consumption maintained by Christian minority. |
| 2019 | — | Solid growing season; Algerian government supporting wine exports as agricultural revenue. |
| 2018 | — | Improved vintage; natural wine researchers visiting Mascara for ancient vine material study. |
| 2017 | — | Consistent vintage; Algerian wine historians documenting Mascara's French blending history. |
| 2016 | — | Strong Tell Atlas season; Algerian wine gaining small-scale European specialty retailer attention. |
| 2015 | — | Reliable Mascara vintage; ONCV maintaining production for domestic and North African markets. |