Wine of Armenia

Not in the story-mood? Scroll down for the Quick Budget Fact Overview: an itemized information summary of Armenia! ↓

“On the count of 3, which travel destinations are highest on your bucket list? 1-2-3-shoot!”

Now, I expect you to shout out a variety of interesting hotspots. Probably locations like Italy, New Zealand or maybe Patagonia, am I correct? Odds are pretty low you were promptly blurting out “Armenia!” just now. I don’t blame you, prior to actually visiting this country my travel expectations were non-existent. I obviously knew about Armenia’s dark history tainted by the Turkish genocide, but I simply did not ever give the country any proper thought on the topic of sightseeing. A marvellous condition for exploration, I must say. Where prominently hyped tourist destinations struggle to meet unrealistically high expectations, distorted by Instagram filters and melodramatic photo editing… places like Armenia posseses a clean slate to ‘wow’ any lucky visitor setting their first hesitant steps on their relatively undiscovered grounds. Be ready for Armenia’s overwhelming charm offensive including abundant mountainscapes, ancient monasteries, kind-hearted hospitality and world class wine.

Yes, I said wine.

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Armenia’s Wine Background

I can simply feel your sense of surprise right through the screen. Armenia, a wine country? Now let me blow your mind on an even more profound level: It is believed that Armenia is in fact the first wine country worldwide. Wine is born on Armenian soil! You might not want to shout that out loud amongst their Georgian neighbours, as they hold on pretty hard to the exact same claim to fame… but credit where credit is due: Armenia does have some archaeological evidence to show for it. The excavations in the Areni-1 Cave, located in the heart of Armenia’s wine region Vayots Dzor, uncovered a collection of fermentation barrels, storage jars, pottery, and a wine press dating back to 4100BC – 4000BC. This is at least thousand years older than any viticultural evidence previously known to humankind. This limestone cave is currently classified as the world’s oldest winery. Yes, in Armenia!

So why is Armenia not a prominent player in the global wine industry? According to experts, its troubled past is to blame. “One has to go back 1500 years in history to find the last Golden Age of Armenian Wine”, notices Deputy Director of the Vine and Wine Foundation of Armenia F. Harutyunyan. Since then, wine traditions faded from memory due to the Ottoman occupation (which lasted until 1829), as the Islamic faith doesn’t condone the consumption of alcohol. As part of the Russian Empire and later the Soviet Union, winemaking experienced a modest revival. However, once Stalin designated Armenia for the collective state production of brandy and allocated wine to his home country Georgia, the wine cultivation plummeted and vineyards were exhausted for the maximized production of distillation-suitable grapes. Once the Soviet Union collapsed, Armenia was left impoverished, its vineyards neglected and deprived. Only in the later 90’s and early 00’s international and Armenian winemakers explored new ways to revive the Armenian wine tradition by combining their ancestral techniques with modern knowledge. It is in fact exactly this innovative curiosity and desire to break with the Soviet past, which triggered the “renaissance” of local winemaking. The fertile land of limestone and volcanic soil, the beneficial climate and the knowledge of both oak and ‘karas’ (amphora) fermentation create delicate wines which are so unique in flavour they can’t be reproduced anywhere else in the world.

Armenian Wines

The modest-sized country of Armenia grows over 20 different grape varieties, known to grow in limited quantities. The most well-known grapes include the following:

Areni Noir / Sev Areni: An indigenous red grape of Vayots Dzor. It’s high in acidity, but gains a more subtle, velvety character when ripened in Armenian oak. Experts mean to recognize cherry, pepper and blackcurrant aromas… I just taste a straightforward cup of red and put both of my thumbs up in the air.
Tozot: Another Vayots Dzor special, but extremely scarce. The Tozot’s Grape claimed fame due to its crisp and vibrant flavour.
Khndoghni: A rich and complex red grape, loved for its silky tannins and ripe red fruit aromas.
Kakhet: A deep red variety. It’s known for its berry flavours, while manifesting more complex, smoky elements when blended with other reds.
Haghanak: This red grape is slightly sweeter, creating flavourful wines with hints of plum, blackberry, vanilla and even notes of coffee and chocolate.
Voskehat: Nicknamed the “queen of the whites”, Voskehat makes for some fresh and joyful white wines, perfect for a warm summer day.
Khatoun Kharji: An acidic white with hints of citrus.
Garan Demak: A light white grape, predominantly used for smooth sparkling wines.
Kangun: A cheerful white, its flavors going well in both dry whites and sparkling varieties.

Winemaking used to be characterized by crushing the grapes by foot, after which the juice was moved into clay amphoras, called ‘karas’. These karas, which are similar to Georgia’s ‘qvevri’s’, were buried underground to initiate the fermentation progress. Whereas the foot-technique might be obsolete, the karas-practice is still widely used, next to more modern procedures using oak barrels. Personally, I was blown off my socks by this karas/qvevri-technique, which leaves the wine with an earthy after tone.

Armenian Wine Destinations

With 29,743 km² Armenia is a relatively small country, its size comparable to for example Belgium, Taiwan or Belize. Or for my North American readers: Twice as big as the state of Connecticut. It might therefore surprise you that the country has no less than 4 different wine regions. But what am I saying? After I just told you Armenia is the first wine country in the world, nothing surprises you anymore at this stage.

Vayots Dzor

The most prominent wine region, both in name and actual height, is located conveniently on the way from north to south. Vayots Dzor, with Areni at its very heart, is not only the location of the earlier mentioned Areni-1 Wine Cave (the world’s most ancient winery), it’s also the vibrant hub of modern-day wine making. Needless to say, I stayed for a couple of days. I might convince you to do the same if I tell you that for the equivalent of 1,5 dollars/euros you can get yourself tastings including 10 wines and 6 brandies (Areni Wine Factory). That is hands down the most generous wine-tasting I experienced on a global scale. Might as well make it a daily activity during your stay here!

Another reason to visit this area is the well-known Noravank Monastery. I know, you’ve been in Armenia for a while and this is the so-many’th ancient monastery, you’re over it… but this one, distinguished by its quirky steps at the front of the structure, forms a personal favorite. With the right weather conditions, the area is perfectly suitable for engaging hikes due to its abundant trail network.

Areni Wineries

Cheapest: Areni Wine Factory. 5 wines, 5 fruit-wines and 6 brandies for 600 dram (anno 2022). Only free tastings have a better deal than this one.
Best wine: Stepanyan’s Gastro Yard. If in some strange, unlikely scenario you could only drink 1 glass of wine in Armenia… or let’s say you’re pregnant, and you can only transport one bottle of Armenian wine home for later consumption, make sure to buy either the barrel-red or classic from Stepanyan. Butter my butt and call me a biscuit, this is the best that happened to me in Armenia, wine-wise. Nice folks running the place as well.
Priciest: ArpaParnas Wine (wine brand: Voski / Zorah).
Strangest: Wine House Meher. It started off like a pleasant endeavour, with Meher and his son continuously filling up our glasses with their homemade wine like there’s no tomorrow… It ended with a rather awkward scene of the owner swiping through the endless gallery of photos of him with every single attractive woman that visited his wine bar, while getting more invasive of my personal space. We were the only ones there, but got so drunk we tipped an amount probably compensating for the daily turnover.
Least favorite: Hin Areni Winery. Bad rosé, decent red, but unfriendly service and the snack platter looked like it was scraped off of other plates.

Aragatsotn

At a slightly lower elevation than Vayots Dzor lies Aragatsotn. This unpronounceable wine region is located on the south side of Armenia’s highest peak, Mount Aragats*, and just north of Yerevan is characterized by its tuff, basalt and limestone soils. The hot and dry climate balanced off with cool nights make for interesting varieties such as Voskehat, Kangun and Rkatsiteli (the latter also abundantly produced in Georgia). The ‘Areni’ of the Aragatsotn region is the tiny, rather unimpressive town of Voskevaz. It is therefore rather odd to find a winery there of that calibre. If you’d ask me ‘what calibre’ I wouldn’t even be able to answer that, to be quite frank with you… imagine a hybrid between a foreigner’s interpretation of “medieval Europe” and the tackiness of Disneyland, denying all historical connections with the ancient craft of the town’s winemaking tradition. That’s Voskevaz Winery for you, hiding wine bottles of famous Armenians such as Charles Aznevour and Serj Tankan in its deep depths. Weird… but good weird, in a way. And they’re pretty decent at their job: Besides local grape varieties, they took the Areni Noir to the next level and even won a gold medal with it at the 18th Grand International Wine Awards. Worth a visit if you happen to be in the region.

* Want to climb Mount Aragats? I wrote about my experience in this article.

Aragatsotn Wineries: Vokevaz Winery; Hasayy Group (does not accept visitors); Armas Winery; Kouash Winery; Stork Nest Winery.

Ararat

Vayots Dzor might be the most celebrated wine region of Armenia… but the Ararat Valley modestly accepts the second price. Located on a sunny plateau at circa 800 meters above sea level, it forms the cradle of an impressive variety of both white and red grapes. If you can appreciate a good brandy or cognac on the side, this wine region might be most suitable: They carry on with this craft that reached its forced peak during communist times, but which was flawlessly finetuned during the shift of mass state-owned production to niche markets. Due to its close proximity to the capital of Yerevan and the high likelihood of you visiting the region anyway in order to visit the country’s most iconic attraction (Khor Virap: yup, a monastery again), this might be the most efficient spot to scratch the surface of Armenian wine making.

Ararat Wineries: Ararat Wine Factory; Artashat Vincon Winery; Vedi Alco Winery; Ashvar Wine Factory; Yerashk Wine Factory; Agatat Gold Winery; Shato Ano Winery; Van 777 Winery; Tavinko Winery; Shaumuan Alco; Shamuyan Vin Winery;

Armavir

Kind of tucked in between the Ararat and Aragatsotn wine region, you can find yet another one: Armavir, in the far west of Armenia. Where Vayots Dznor might be the most well-known wine area, Armavir is by far the biggest. With a surface area of about 71 square kilometres it gives plenty of space to a production that’s mainly evolving around whites and rosés. The environment is characterized by extreme drought and high temperature, creating a desert-like context for the production of a rather disparate flavour profile.

Armavir Wineries: Echmiadzin Winery; MAP Winery; Interalco Wine, Voskeni Wines; Winar Winery; Alluria Wines; Zvartnots Wine.

Photo and opening photo by Miles Watson Photography.

Smaller, less prominent wine areas of Armenia:

Gegharkunik
Kotayk
Shirak
Syunik
Republic of Artsakh (disputed area)

Quick Budget Fact Overview

Armenia Facts

Capital: Yerevan
Language: Armenian (incl. their own alphabet)
Population: ± 2.9 mln*
Sq km: ± 29,743 km²
Currency: Dram (֏)
Electricity Outlet: C & F / 230 V / 50 Hz. Check here.
Country Code Phone: +374
Emergency Phone: 103 (ambulance), 101 (fire), 102 (police)
Visa: Check out the visa requirements here. Easy applications can be arranged here.
Climate: Hot Summer Continental (Dfa)
High season: Summer

* An estimated 7mln Armenians live outside of Armenia in “Diaspora Communities”. The main reason for this immigration was the genocide carried out towards the Armenian people by Turkey (beginning of 19th century) and the recent war with Azerbaijan concentrated in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Short History Recap

2400BC: The Book of Genesis identifies the land of Ararat as the resting place of Noah's Ark. 2300BC: Armenian nation created in Ararat. 1200BC: Nairi tribes in highlands (Van /Hakkari provinces of current Turkey). 860BC: Kingdom of Urartu. 782BC: Fortress of Erebuni constructed. 512BC: Annexed to Persia. 331BC: Alexander the Great attacks Persia, but doesn’t conquer Armenia --> independence from Persia gained. 190BC: Artaxiad Dynasty. 83BC: Conquest of Syria, Phoenicia, and Cilicia. 66BC: Pompey invades Armenia, but returns to Rome after money is offered by Armenian Tigranes the Great. 1AD: Arsacid Dynasty. 58: Roman invasion. 301: Armenia 1st Christian state in the world (by King Tiridates III). Division into West-East between Sassanid Persians and Roman Byzantines (Peace of Acisilene). 405: Armenian alphabet invented. 428: Part of Sassanid Empire. 639: 1st Arab invasion. 650: Khazar-Arab Wars & Byzantine-Arab Wars. 1016: Seljuk Turks --> become dominant in Anatolia. 1045: Armenia falls to Byzantine troops --> Armenian exodus. Conqueror Timur from Timurid Empire invades Armenia, Georgia & Anatolia: slaughter / enslavement. 1502: Safavid Dynasty of Persia conquers Armenia. ’14: Ottoman-Persian Wars. ’32: Ottoman-Safavid Wars. ‘55: Peace of Amasya & 1639’s Treaty of Zuhab: Western Armenia under Ottoman rule. 1813: Treaty of Gulistan: Eastern Armenia under Persian rule, Karabakh part of Russian Empire. ’26-’28: Russo-Persian War --> Eastern Armenia to Russia. ’94-’96: Hamidian Massacres; an estimated 80,000–300,000 Armenians are killed by Ottomans. 1909: Adana Massacre: 15,000-30,000 Armenians killed by Ottomans. WWI: Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman Empire (still denied by Turkey) --> between 600,000-2.5mln Armenians murdered or sent on death marches to present-day Syria. Motivations: Christianity & suspicion of pro-Russian sympathies. ’16-’18: Armenian regions of Ottoman Empire fall to Russia / Soviet Union. ’18: The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk gives Armenian Kars, Ardahan and Batum regions to the Ottoman Empire. Independent Armenia. ’20: Invasion by Turkey & Bolshevik Russia. ’22: Armenia incorporated into USSR. ’88: Armenians begin to campaign for Nagorno-Karabakh (NK), a region with a predominantly Armenian population in Azerbaijan, to be united with Armenia. Earthquake kills 25,000. ’89: NK begins --> many Azeri citizens are forced to flee their homes. ’90: Nationalists win elections --Independence Armenia declared, but ignored by Russia. ’91: Joins Commonwealth of Independent States (successor to Soviet Union). ’92: Joins UN. Trade + energy embargo imposed by Azerbaijan. ’94: Demonstrations over food+ energy shortages --> Russian-brokered ceasefire ends NK fighting. Self-proclaimed republic: Armenian forces in control of Azerbaijani territory. ’99: Prime minister + 6 officials killed in parliament. 2001: Council of Europe member. ’07: Parliament allows dual citizenship: naturalisation of Armenia's massive foreign diaspora (7mnl people). ’14: Tensions rise over NK again. ’15: Eurasian Union. Gyumri massacre (Armenians killed by Russians). ’16: NK clashes. ’20: NK War --> recognized as part of Azerbaijan.

Photo by Miles Watson Photography.

Wine Festivals

Yerevan Wine Days – May or June.
Areni Wine Festival – October.

Budget Bites

Local Dishes: Khorovats (BBQ); Tolma (dolma, rice/meat in wine leaves); Harissa (ground wheat / pulled meat porridge); Qyufta / Kufta (meatballs); Tjvjik (beef / lamb liver); Arishta (thick noodles); Spas / Tanov Apur (yoghurt soup); Khash (beef broth); Khashlama (lamb veg stew); Ghapama (pumpkin with minced meat, boiled rice, nuts, dried fruits); Jingyalov Hats (greens in flatbread); Aveluk Salad (Armenian wild sorrel with pomegranate seeds, garlic, oil, and walnuts); Tatar Boraki(yoghurt pasta); Basturma (dried beef tenderloin); Panrkhash (boiled cheese/butter/onions); Potchapur (bean onion soup with meat); Gata (sweet vanilla bread); Dabgadz Banir Boerag (flaky puff pastries filled with cheeses); Topik (chickpea dumplings); Lavash (flatbread); Manti (tiny little boats of dough, filled with meat); Shashlik / Kebab (meat skewers); Itch / Eech (bulgur salad); Kchuch (meat and vegetable stew / soup); Vospov Kofte (lentil kofte); Ishkhan (trout); Pelmeni (Russian dumplings).
The Veg Situation: Going veg is rather complicated in Armenia, as the local kitchen is very meat- and cheese-centred. On top of that, refusing food that’s offered by the generous locals can be taken as an insult. However, where there’s a will there’s a way. Local veg dishes (description above): Pasuc Tolma (vegan); Arishta (vegan); Spas / Tanov Apur; Jingyalov Hats; Aveluk Salad (vegan); Tatar Boraki; Panrkhash; Gata; Dabgadz Banir Boerag; Topik (vegan); Lavash (vegan); Itch / Eech (vegan); Vospov Kofte (vegan); Mshosh (vegan - lentils/onions/walnuts/apricots); Ailazan (vegan - stew).
National Drink: Vodka (oghi); Cognac; Wine; Beer.

Sleep Cheap

Hostels / Hotels: Whereas Armenia is quite a cheap destination (depending on where you’re coming from) with relatively low costs of food, transportation and touristic attractions, you’re likely to spend the most of your travel budget on accommodation. Ho(s)tel prices aren’t outrageous, but generally a bit pricier than in Georgia or Iran… especially in the cities, like Yerevan and Gyumri. However, in homestays and guesthouses in the southern countryside you’ll be often treated on free meals, coffee and snacks as a general gesture of hospitality, so you can save some expenses there. Always re-confirm your booking per phone or whatsapp, as sometimes a property doesn’t have space for you at all, even though they’re accepting bookings. It also (rarely) happens that you’re given a different (worse) room than booked, or a different (higher) price is suddenly quoted. Payment is generally in cash. I personally found the best deals on Booking.com. They have the biggest selection, are transparent about the final price and have an efficient search engine tailored to your specific needs (cheapest first!). If you use it often enough, Genius-discounts are applied. Agoda is often not transparent about prices, adding a lot of additional costs in the last booking-step. Opodo is another decent option. I don’t recommend Air BnB in Armenia, as it’s not only much more expensive, but often properties accept bookings but aren’t available at all… and as it’s prepaid, the owner has to cancel the booking for you to get your money back (try to explain that in Armenian / Russian). Writer’s choice: I stayed in Park-Hotel Khoren’s Lake, which was slightly outside of Areni but located along a lake. The rooms were simple, but a kitchen and pleasant outside seating were available. The hostess has a strange attitude whenever you decide to arrive back home after 9PM.
Couchsurfing: allows you to stay with locals. Nowadays it has a moderate sign-up cost (unless you put a third-world country as homebase), but paying extra for verification is unnecessary: Positive reviews are way more important. Once active, there are no costs for staying at someone’s house. In order to get accepted, make sure to write an elaborate review explaining why you applied to this specific profile and think you and your host are a good match (copy-pastes tend to be ignored). Unfortunately, the active Couchsurfing community is quite limited in Armenia. During a month’s time I landed two stays, but I noticed that most profile’s are inactive or hosts live in with their parents and therefore cannot host.
Housesitting: is an amazing exchange allowing you to stay short- or long-term in somebody’s house, while looking after their house and pets. There are many different websites, most of them paid… but once you landed a sit, the subscription fee is pays itself back quickly. The main housesitting site is Trusted Housesitters.
Wild Camping: is entirely legal in Armenia. Of course, make sure to not litter and be careful in choosing your camping location, as bears and wolves are common in many natural areas of Armenia (never ever keep food inside of your tent and cook far away from your camping spot). Steer clear of shepherd’s territories, as the dogs guarding the cattle can be quite aggressive. When camping around towns and villages: Armenians are incredibly hospitable, and if you ask permission to camp on their land they’ll probably treat you on food and drinks.

Mama Said

Safety: Armenia is generally safe, but use your common sense like everywhere. Don’t walk alone in remote areas after sunset, don’t take valuables along and follow your instinct when entering certain neighbourhoods further away from the centre.
Tap Water: is generally drinkable. That said, always double-check this with the accommodation owner, as some houses store their water supplies in water tanks, causing possible contamination.
Language: Keep into account that English is not spoken here. At all. Besides Armenian, most people speak Russian. If you don’t speak any of these two languages, make sure to have a translation app (such as Google Translate) at your disposal, as that makes life much easier.
The best credit/debit card for traveling is Wise, as they use the live conversion rates without any extra fees. Wise also has the lowest fees for sending money to foreign accounts. Unfortunately, you cannot create an Armenian Dram wallet on your Wise account (yet!). Money exchange offices are concentrated in Yerevan and generally charge decent exchange rates (avoid doing it at the airport). I noticed there are quite some exchange offices, but almost none are listed on Google Maps, so it’s better to just look around.
Cash: Card payments are rarely accepted in Armenia. Always bring enough cash with you and keep in mind that small villages often don’t have ATM’s nor money exchange offices. Another difficulty is that large bills (sometimes even as small as 5000 dram / €10) are not accepted, as local shop owners simply don’t have change.
Simcard: Acquiring a simcard is rather easy and very affordable in Armenia. Simply walk into a phone shop with your passport and buy the sim and package that interests you, and the employees will set it up for you. Avoid any expensive tourist packages or deals sold at the airports. I experienced excellent service and coverage with Ucom, where I bought a 30-day call and data package. Other companies include Vivacell MTS and Beeline.

Next?

International Destinations Close By: Turkey (border closed); Azerbaijan (border closed); Iran; Georgia.

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