The country is considered the cradle of wine, where all wine production was born and features the the world’s oldest-known wine production facility. Also, it is in the midst of a grape growing and wine production renaissance. I do know that I anticipate the discovery of these sparkling, white and red wines to be one of my highlight moments for 2021.

A Little About Armenia

Now that I have dropped the mic, let me give you some history about Armenia and why winemaking  in this country has had so many stops and starts. It was all about geopolitics. The country was under Soviet rule between 1920 and 1991, and good winemaking became almost obsolete when all wineries belonged to the government. Brandy was considered more important to produce than wine and at one point and Armenia produced a quarter of all brandy consumed in the Soviet Union.

Armenian wine dates back to 401-400 BC when the Greek armies recorded being hosted with wine and beer when they were in Armenian territories.Armenia is south of the mountain range of the Caucasus. To the north and east, it is bordered by Georgia and Azerbaijan and to the southeast and west by Iran and Turkey. It is known for its high elevation, limestone and volcanic soil, which helps to create great wines at a high elevation (2,000 – 4,500 feet above sea level).

Grapes grow in four main regions in the country — Ararat, Armavir, Aragatsotn, and Vayots Dzor, which account to the majority of production. According to the Vine & Wine Foundation of Armenia—the country has more than 400 indigenous grape varieties. In context, this equals half of Italy, which is known as being one of the toughest regions to learn. And Italy is 10 times larger. For whites, common grapes include Voskehat and Kangun. For reds, it’s mostly about Areni.

It’s a great story that deserves to be told and shared by consumers.