Tired of drinking the same wines from the same regions?
Looking for somewhere new to explore?
Forget France.
Ignore Italy.
What about Armenia?
Wedged between Azerbaijan and Turkey, Armenia rarely comes up in conversations about wine.
What a shame.
Armenia has been making wine for thousands of years. Even so, many people are not aware of this mountainous country’s long, rich winemaking tradition.
This week, you can learn more about the history of winemaking in Armenia, common wine grapes there and the country’s best-known winemaking regions.
There are also tasting notes for three Armenian wines – one sparkling, one white and one rose – a friend of mine shared with me recently.
Hope you enjoy.
HISTORY
Armenia has been making wine for at least 6,000 years, according to Storica Wines, which distributes wines from several Armenia wine producers in the United States, including the three wines recommended this week. In fact, there may even be evidence of winemaking in Armenia dating back 8,000 years. Either way, Armenia is not upstart when it comes to making wine.
REGIONS
Like Argentina, Armenia’s wine-making regions revolve around its mountains. In this particular case, Armenia’s mountains (which include the Lesser Caucasus and Mount Aragats, Armenia’s highest peak) play a major role in winemaking and where its vineyards are located in Armenia. Many of the vineyards are located 2,000 to 4,500 feet above sea level.
As for particular wine regions in Armenia, some of the best-known ones include Aragatsotn, Ararat, Armavir, and Vayots Dzor (the region where all three wines recommended this week come from)
GRAPES
One of the great things about Armenia wines is the variety of lesser-known grapes from this country. Such grapes include:
- Areni – Armenia’s best-known and one of its oldest red wine grapes.
- Voskehat – White wine grape widely grown in Armenia for thousands of years.
- Sireni – Red wine grape also sometimes known as khndoghni.
TASTING NOTES
2018 Keush Brut Nature Rose ($39.99 Suggested Retail Price)
Region: Vayots Dzor, Armenia
Grapes: 100% areni
Made in the traditional method similar to French Champagne, this crisp, dry sparkling wine made entirely with areni grapes is a great introduction to Armenian wines. Here, the flavors are refreshing with a hint of melon and strawberry. There’s also a mineral-like finish since the vineyards are located in mix of limestone and volcanic rock. An absolutely charming wine.
2020 Shoefer AM Areni Rose ($20.99 SRP)
Region: Vayots Dzor, Armenia
Grapes: 100% areni
Another great Armenian wine made entirely with areni grapes, this delightful rose wine has a similar mineral-like finish thanks to the volcanic soils where the grapes are grown in vineyards in Vayots Dzor. Flavors include subtle, delicate hints of strawberry, melon and cherry, along with sea salt and fragrant floral-like aromas. A great, distinct, delicious wine.
2020 Zulal Voskehat ($20.99 SRP)
Region: Vayots Dzor, Armenia
Grapes: 100% voskehat
Finally, this subtle white wine shows why voskehat grapes deserve to be better known outside of Armenia. Again, the flavors are light and mineral-like and range from hints of melon and peach to pineapple and pear. So if you enjoy light, dry, mineral-rich white wines, this fascinating wine perfectly illustrates why Armenian wines deserve a place at more tables around the world.
Cheers!
Wine Press by Ken Ross appears on Masslive.com every Monday and in The Republican’s Weekend section every Thursday.
