POMEGRANATE POWER
Fine spirits from Armenia

by Sarah Biondich, The Shepherd-Express
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October 11, 2007

Hagop Kharatian, born in Yerevan, Armenia, began his ballet training at
the Yerevan Ballet Academy at age 10. He went on to study ballet in St.
Petersburg, Russia, and later at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in
Washington, D.C. Kharatian was a principal dancer at the Milwaukee
Ballet and also performed in both classical and contemporary repertoires
with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, the Washington Ballet and the Los
Angeles Classical Ballet.

So in what direction does a prestigious ballet dancer who has starred in
gala and tribute events, full-length ballets and mixed programs
throughout the world steer his career after retiring from a life of
dance? As an importer of exotic beverages such as pomegranate wine, of
course.

"Dancers like to party," Kharatian says with a laugh. "Basically we’ve
built a small booze network of ex-dancers. We have always had
pomegranate wine in Armenia. Then the pomegranate boom came up here and
we thought, ‘We don’t have wine like this in the States; let’s start
importing it.’ That’s how we found our niche in the pomegranate
products-wine, vodka, liquor and juice."

And so Kharatian’s beer, fine wine and liquor wholesale distribution
company, Ararat Fine Spirits, came to be. The company’s namesake, Mount
Ararat, was historically part of Armenia and dominates the skyline of
Kharatian’s birthplace. Armenians revere the towering twin-peaked
mountain as a spiritual focal point. It’s the biblical resting place of
Noah’s Ark, and the place where the first vineyards were established.

Representing fertility, abundance and marriage, the pomegranate, like
Ararat, is one of the national symbols of Armenia. The "seeded apple" is
native to what is now Afghanistan, Iran and northern India, but has been
cultivated in the Mediterranean and Caucasus regions since sometime
between 4000 BCE and 3000 BCE. Because of its longevity, the pomegranate
has become steeped in legend, symbolism and tradition, and it’s been
celebrated in art, mythology, religious texts and literature for
centuries.

The pomegranate became a household name in America when Steven Pratt
published SuperFoods Rx: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life. The
book focuses on 14 functional foods high in micronutrients, one of which
is the pomegranate. According to Pratt, this super-fruit is a "potent
anti-inflammatory phytochemical powerhouse, rich in potassium, vitamin
C, polyphenols and vitamin B6.

"Pomegranate juice may have two to three times the antioxidant power of
equal amounts of green tea or red wine," he adds. "As little as
one-fourth cup of pomegranate juice daily may improve cardiovascular
health by reducing oxidation of LDL cholesterol."

Until this super-fruit category was marketed in industrialized
countries, however, pomegranates weren’t that popular in these parts.

One of the first products Ararat began importing was a seductive, tart,
100%-pomegranate, semi-sweet red wine produced by the Proshyan Wine
Factory of Armenia. The wine’s label features a painting titled
Temptation by Roudolf Kharatian, Hagop’s father. Browse Ararat’s Web
site () to find vendors, available products and a
number of creative recipes, including the Pomosa or the Poma-Grenade,
that take pomegranate products to a new level.

Instead of resting on its garnet-colored laurels, Ararat Fine Spirits
has expanded its beverage selection to include a creative, diverse
selection of wines from South America, Africa, Europe and the Middle
East, as well as unique liquors, brandy, beer, tequila and vodka.

"We sell the unique stuff," Kharatian says. "The collection is getting
bigger and it’s changing all the time."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress