Recently, I had the honor of attending #ginifest an Armenian wine fest! It was a day full of all sorts of wines, beer, brandy and all the baklava you could eat!
I was so intrigued!! Where have I been?? I had no clue Armenia was even making wine!! I discovered new grape varieties and learned so much! I needed to dive deeper into this region!
I interviewed Anush, who is the director of Armenian Wine and Spirits Festival (#ginifest ) , wine maker, consultant, sommelier, wine writer and podcaster (A Toast to Armenia) and all around boss babe to learn more about Armenian Wine!
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about the history of wine in Armenia?
A: Armenia has has an ancient history of wine making. A cave with wine making equipment (press, jugs, cups etc) were discovered dating 4000bc in Areni,Vayots Dzor. In spite of its old history it has been only 6-7 years that Armenian wine has seen quality. This is a result of few Armenians who have become successful outside and returned to their homeland ready to invest in to the industry because they believed that the terroir is perfect for making amazing wines. They also invited international winemakers to guide and teach the locals how to properly manage vineyard, make wine etc.
Q: How many different varieties grow there and which ones in your opinion are doing the best?
A: There are about 300 indigenous varieties growing in Armenia out of which about 50 are used in wine making. My favorite varietals are White: Voskehat. Red: Areni and Sireni
These varietal are doing extremely well and have very distinct characteristics.
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about the type of oak they are using?
A: Most of the wineries use Caucasian oak that grows on territory of Armenia, Artsakh.
Q: What else would you like us to know about Armenian wines?
A: Armenian youth is very interested in wine. They love to learn about wine, take classes. This is a very good indicator that the industry will continue to grow and improve.
If you are in Los Angeles you can find a wide variety of the wines in Glendale- Remedy Liquoror through an online retailer winesofarmenia
Wow! How cool is that?? Huge thank you to the lovely Anush (@anushikjan_armeniangirlsomm) for sharing about Armenian Wines with us!!
Cheers wine lovers!
XOXO Cas 💋
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