Page 11 - Code de Vino, # 16/22, s/s 2018

11 Wine Club Code de Vino #16
because you started learning about wine! Then you Askeran — but that’s a question for another time. Still, they
dabbled in wine sales and arrived at the source: the will only be subregions.
need to make wine yourself. That’s a real presidential
race if I’ve ever seen it! — How can you comment on the issue of young and
old vineyards in Armenia?
— Yes, I have had a good career...
— Old vineyards mostly belong to the Soviet era from the
1960-70s. There are some very ancient spots, but they’re
— Now I want to talk a bit more about Armenian few in number. There is hardly any phylloxera is Armenia,
wines. I think I have the general picture all worked out. so several very old vineyards have managed to survive as
However, can you give me a recommendation of the well.
best wine in each wine region of Armenia from your
perspective? — But in order to obtain good wine, vines must be at
least 15-20 years old.
— That is tough, because Armenia doesn’t have that
many regions, but each has so many good winemakers! — That is true in general, but as concerns commercial
In Karabakh, I would have to say Anush Kataro (especially production, you can have a quality vine in just 8 years. If
their Khndokhni). In Armavir, I’d say Karas Wines, and you cultivate vines without irrigation, you can likely reach
even though they use international grape varieties, they do a very high quality level in about 20-30 years. But this
it better than anyone else. In Aragatsotn Province, I can happens extremely rarely.
highlight ArmAs, Van Ardi as a boutique producer, and
Armenia Wine with their red Tariri as a large winery. There is
a lot going on in the wine world there. Then Voskevaz with — If there are a lot of vineyards, the old ones must be
their Karasi Collection, or wines made in amphorae. preserved.
In Vayots Dzor, I can definitely emphasize the Areni grape. — Sure, that’s exactly what we’re after. The problem is that
They have great producers there, like Zorah Wines, old vineyards do not produce a lot of grape. Until recently,
Yacoubian-Hobbs, and Koor. In Areni, I’d like to single out winemakers got the same price for any grape of any age.
Hin Areni. Perhaps, Arman Winery could ask for more because
they are good judges of vine age. But still, the majority of
As concerns the Ararat region, I won’t say much. It’s too producers are not interested in these nuances. Today the
hot there. The region is mostly used for cognac grape. But situation is changing, because we go to the producers and
perhaps I misunderstood you... are you asking about the say: if you give us the best Areni, we’ll pay 30-40% more.
bigger wineries? We collaborate with a number of major producers like
Yacoubian-Hobbs and Koor, so where others pay 2 dollars,
we can offer 5, 10, even 15...
— I mostly mean quality.

— I can also mention Idjevan, a large producer in the city — All the wines produced with your support are made
of Idjevan (center of Tavush Province, northern Armenia). with grapes of a decent age.
They have the potential for white wines and, dare I say,
elegant red wines. But the climate there is complicated. It — But this also indicates the fact that the full potential has
is quite humid, so they can’t acquire the sugar or alcohol not yet been reached. Yes, the vineyards are old, but they
content like in the valley. sometimes lack the proper care. I’m sure they will only get
better over time, as the quality of grape continues to grow.

— Can you think of any other regions?
— I rated some Karas Wines as 94-96 out of 100. Their
— The Meghri subregion (Meghri district) in Syunik wine truly does have a very high quality.
Province, the southernmost part of Armenia on the border
with Iran. They have a totally different climate where — Karas Wines have famous international varieties and
anything can grow. They used to make a noteworthy a very good area for winemaking. Their quality and
white dessert Arevik wine, but not anymore. They have winemaking process are quite complex.
the potential, they have autochthonous grapes and old
wineries, but no one is brave enough to start a business
there. I think that’s what I might do next. — I gave your Koor wines 93 out of 100, and 94 out of
100 to Kataro.
As for the regions, this is it. In the future, something more
might crop up in Karabakh’s regions — Martuni, Gadrut, — You’re right, I agree with that assessment. We know