Page 14 - Code de Vino, # 16/22, s/s 2018

Code de Vino #16 Vahe Keushguerian — Armenia’s Wine President 14

one even considered our varieties. Now after us, everyone I spoke to this one 80-year-old winemaker from a wine
is talking about autochthonous grapes... They used to cut institute, and he kept telling me that it is incredibly hard
these vineyards down, but now they’ve suddenly become to make good wine from white grape. I travel a lot and
patriots. We call them the “new vinegrowers.” Like, you see that indeed, there are very few good white wines.
know, the “New Russians” (Russians that made a name for They are extremely hard to make. To say nothing of
themselves in the 90s after the breakup of the USSR). the fact that yours is 100% natural. You don’t speed
Another rare variety we use is Chilar. It grows in the Ararat up the process, which is officially allowed. I think it’s
Plain, at the foot of Mount Aragats. It is a white variety, important for you to preserve it. You let white wine
also sometimes known as Skhtoruk, which means “garlic,” pass through their full production cycle. As a result,
because its berries resemble tiny cloves of garlic. Our you can drink the wine at any temperature: it becomes
people often named their grapes after comparisons they deeper and unfolds with a wonderful aftertaste.
made with them. Meeting such a wine is a joyous moment for any wine
connoisseur!

— What a curious color this Chilar has. And the
fragrance! Are you the first to use it too?

— Yes, it’s not being sold on the market yet. In the past, it
was used to make the famous Jerez-like Oshakan. In the
Soviet era, there was no wine that could top it.

— In my opinion, Chilar is a wine for professionals.
— It is very rich, goes well with cheese...