Wine travelers rarely stumble upon Armenia. That might be the case because of the fact that the country is better known for its brandy production. It is true that a decade ago the majority of grapes used to be bought up by “cognac-vodka” factories. Nowadays, however, the situation has changed drastically. Wine culture is on the rise in restaurants and wineries are being established at a fast pace. The majority of wineries around Yerevan belong to 1st generation winemakers who refuse to look back, radiate interest, ambition and look up to the highest western winemakers.
One feels at home in restaurants
If you are visiting Armenia you will eventually dine at a restaurant. How does a typical restaurant in Yerevan look on a regular day? Full. The non-smoking areas are full with large groups with children. The smoking areas are occupied by groups consisting of 4-8 men or women. The men act laid back, the women have passionate yet discreet conversations. Some people look artistic - they could be composers, writers or architects. All of them have one thing in common - they drink wine (70% of it is local). Sparkling wine is rare, rosé is popular. Conversations revolve around wine. The service is fast, the food is excellent. Although most of the food on offer is local, middle eastern and southeast Asian influences are also noticeable. Deserts on offer are simple. Most restauranteurs manage 3 to 4 establishments and can be easily found dining together with their guests. They are easy to approach, very hospitable and know wine well (sold at a 40-100% mark-up). One can often hear live piano music at these restaurants, mostly jazz. A solid main dish will set a guest back 10-20 euros. The overall atmosphere is reminiscent of a country with a well established restaurant culture. No surprise that wine has flourished here.
Investments into volcanic soil
Around 7 million Armenians live abroad. They return to their home country with determination and financial capital to invest. As a result, modern wineries are on the rise in places where no one has lived and nothing has grown before. “Armenia Wine Company”, “Vanardi”, “Armas” wineries are expanding their vineyards on the footsteps of Mount Aragats (4090 meters). The soil is dense with volcanic tuff and basalt. The absence of a phylloxera allows winemakers to grow ungrafted vines. The Aragatsotn region is ideal for wine making. At 1000 meters above sea level it experiences cool nights and warm days. Because of this great structured wine with high acidity and alcohol can be produced here.
The “Armas” winery was built on a completely empty lot. Tens of millions of euros were invested in the preparation of more than a 100 hectares of land, vineyards and gardens. Hail cannons, a modern winery, a hotel and tasting venues also did not come cheap. Winemaking is learnt from foreigners and the wine is sold in international wine exhibitions. As a result, it would be naive to think that Armenian wine is cheap. Quality comes at a cost as the wine producer is determined to reach the best expression of local terroir and grape. All of this can be found in “Armas”. Lithuanian wine championship medals for quality are a pleasant surprise.
Varuzhan Muradyan came back from California in 2008 and planted a 9 hectare vineyard in Aragatsotn. He follows the organic winemaking philosophy and draws inspiration from biodynamic winemaking. He plays classical music, jazz and traditional Armenian music to his vines. A bell tower too with an almost one meter sized bell was recently erected next to his “VanArdi” winery. Varuzhan rings the bell to his vines. A former auditor he spent 15 years planning the construction of the winery before coming to Armenia. He thought every little detail through yet cannot explain everything with words. He feels that the wine itself conveys the emotion and speaks for him. The vibrations caused by the bell help with that too.
Organic wine making is on the rise here
The owner of “Alluria” winery Samvel Machanyan comes from the Kurdish region in Turkey. Last year he went there to visit his grandfather’s country house. He brought back a few grape trees with the hope of rebuilding his grandparents vineyard. However, this is only the romantic side of Samvel’s wine making story. He is a man winemaker who despises convention. He is a naturalist. Samvel makes wine with no sulfites, waits for spontaneous fermentation and partakes in organic farming in his 6.5 hectare vineyard. His stories are amazing, especially about his first experience making wine: “My brother and I made wine and then we thought we want to give it some oaky character. We did not have money for a barrel. So we took some parquet, shredded it and toasted the pieces. Then we parboiled the oak to soften its aroma and then added everything to the wine.” In 2015 while making white wine Samvel froze the steel tank outside in the cold weather. Because the wine was sold out quickly he wants to do the same with the 2018 harvest. Before he does that, I note that the wine is excellent (look at table below). Reds are robust, rich with tannins made according to the rules of its genre - notes of vinegar acidity are noticeable. However, Samvel easily sells the wine. That may be because it reminds locals of homemade wine.
Partial oxidation is unavoidable when making wine in clay pots. These amphoras are called karas in Armenia. The ceramic is not as inert as stainless steel tanks, the clay is impregnated only with beeswax, thus the wine tends to change color quickly. “The Golden Berry” (the word “Voskehat” is translated this way) takes on a golden color in the karas. In addition, the contact with grape skins adds a pleasant tannin note. The “Voskevaz” winery in Aragatsotn (located in the north-west of Yerevan) has almost 50 of these amphoras. It buys the karas from farmers. Some are broken (their only use is decorating the landscape) but a good one will set one back to 1000 euros. The oldest amphora in use is over 100 years old. The winery built in 1932 is currently under renovation. The owner David Oganesian hopes to transform the winery to fit the needs of tourism and the local community. A conference center together with a foreign language school for kids is under construction.
Caucasus oak barrels and other interesting details
When I visited “Armenia Wine Company” 7 years ago it did not have a single vineyard nor an oak barrel. It would buy grapes from others and make light, fruity wines. Today, however, the winery has 54 hectares of private vineyards and plans to expand to 250 hectares. It grows international varieties but matures its wines in barrels made from oak from the Karabakh region. They are 3 times cheaper than their French or American counterparts and add specific notes to the wine. The barrels fall between French and American ones with regards to the aroma and feature unique spice notes. Armenians are perfectly able to take a well tried style and give it local zest. This is very important nowadays where authenticity is becoming more and more popular.
Dry wine made from dried grapes is an invention from Valpolicella. However, when dried local grape varieties turn to an Armenian wine reminiscent of the well known region. The “Gevorkian” winery (est. 2006) in Yerevan does exactly that. 5 tonnes of light colored, non-tannic “Kakhet” grapes grown in the Ararat plains are found hung and drying on ropes in the middle of winter. Interestingly, the word “Kakhet” means “hung”. Vahagn Gevorgyan (the owner of “Gevorkian”) will make Amarone style wine and Reciotto from them. The grape marc will be used to make Ripasso style wine.
Armenia is the oldest Christian country in the world, baptized in the 3rd century. A 6000 year old winery (the oldest in the world!) was found here in 2011 containing some vitis vinifera grape seeds. True changes in her wine industry, however, are happening today. Armenia is fostering the expressiveness and energy of flavors of the New World while finessing the elegance, freshness and mineral notes found in European wines. All of this effort is improved by the use of local grape varieties and historic production methods. A promising beginning for sure. The country has not yet been spoiled by tourism so I recommend visiting Armenia as soon as possible. Visitors will notice the free spirited character of people, an innate love for food together with pride of the local cuisine. A thriving restaurant culture with very little irritating snobbery will also be a pleasant surprise.
Wine |
Notes from tastings |
Score |
Vanardi Reserve 2016 |
Blackcurrant aromas, satin tannins and heavy fruitiness. Matured for 14 months in 2 to 3 year old oak barrels. ‘Syrah’ and ‘Kakhet’ grapes. |
91 |
Alluria Voskehat 2018 |
Tasting right from the barrel. Natural wine, no contact with grape skins. Orange in color, pleasant aromas of peach, mango and spices. Minerality, freshness are observable. Heavy bodied. |
90 |
Voskevaz Areni Karas 2015 |
Light ruby color. Plum, strawberry jam aromas with a hint of greenery. Medium tannins and acidity. |
92 |
Takar Areni 2016 (Armenia Wine Company) |
Cherry, pepper and blackberry aromas. Medium tannins and acidity. The wine is fruity, oaky aromas are also noticeable. Matured for 12 months in French and Armenian oak barrels. |
91 |
Ariats Amarone Style (Gevorkian Winery) |
‘Areni‘, ‘Haghtanak‘, ‘Kakhet‘ and ‘Karmrahyut‘ grapes merge into a tannic, fruity, heavy-bodied wine. Notes of molases, nuts, plum and blackcurrant jam. |
94 |
Armenian grape varieties
Armenians are proud to have more than 400 local grape varieties. Here’s a guide to some important ones.
Armenian grape varieties |
|
Areni’ (r) |
Likes sunny slopes, hilly areas. Matures into mildly tannic and very fresh wines. Jancis Robinsons says that the grape reminds him of Northern Rhone “Syrah” grapes, yet the structure is more reminiscent of “Pinot Noir”. Even the wine glasses created by Riedel especially for this grape reminds me of a “Pinot Noir” glass. |
‘Chilar’ (w) |
Grows well in rocky, chalky soil on slopes. Good fit for making sweet wine (Armavir province). |
Garandmak’ (w) |
Partner of the ‘Voskehat’ variety, responsible for freshness. |
Haghtanak’ (r) |
Teinturrier variety, the word means ‘victory’. Tannic, pronounced aromas of spices. |
‘Kakhet’ (r) |
Grown in fertile soil, in the plains of Ararat. |
‘Kangun’ (w) |
Often used for brandy production. Derived from crossing ‘Bukholimansky’ and ‘Rkatsiteli’ varieties. |
‘Karmrahyut’ (r) |
Red grape variety, tannic. Dominant notes of red berries and flowers. |
‘Khndogni’ (‘Sireni’) (r) |
Used for rich and tannic reds (Artsakh region). |
‘Lalvari’ (w) |
Grown high above sea level. Used for light wine, suitable for sparkling wine (Tavush province). |
‘Voskehat’ (Voskeat) (w) |
The oldest Armenian grape variety. Some seeds were found in 3500 year old archeological sites. The aromas and flavors are reminiscent of ‘Viognier’ and ‘Roussanne’ from Rhone. Winemakers produce peachy, tropical, flowery, heavy-bodied or fresh, light and fruity wines. In both cases, minerality is very present. Grows in rocky and chalky sandy areas (Vayots Dzor province). |
Translated by Kasparas Adomaitis