Old World, New World, Ancient World

Wine is often categorized as ‘old-world’ and ‘new-world’; the former refers to wines from Europe that emphasize place and tradition, and the latter refers to the Americas and the Southern Hemisphere, known for their innovation and winemaking techniques. 

Photo credit:  Ofelia Melikyan 

Recently there’s been growing interest in what I think of as the wines of the ‘Ancient World’, and one of the fastest growing and rapidly self-improving regions in this category is Armenia. 

Armenia is located where the domestication of the grapevine took place; Vitis Vinifera, the family of grapes that produce the world’s fine wines, originated here before migrating to Europe and elsewhere. It is also home to the world’s oldest winery dating back to 4,000BC.

After a long tradition of winemaking, the Soviet era over the past century nearly eradicated winemaking in Armenia as the focus shifted to producing brandy for the rest of the Soviet empire. Thankfully, winemaking traditions survived, and over the past 15 years Armenia has seen a renaissance in winemaking, marrying ancient varieties and techniques with modern equipment and knowledge. 

While there are hundreds of varieties native to Armenia, two varieties currently lead the way:

Voskehat is Armenia’s leading white grape, making wines that are lively, driven by refreshing acidity, yet fuller bodied, with typical notes of stone fruits and nuanced notes of herbs.

Zulal Voskehat showcases the variety’s appeal; made from hand-harvested grapes and vinified in stainless steel to emphasize the variety’s characteristics, it’s rich in aromas and flavors of apple, pear and melon, with an enticing note of chamomile and thyme.

Areni, Armenia’s signature red grape, is known for making wines that are medium bodied, energetic, with light tannin and real depth of fruit-driven flavors. 

This exuberant, fruit-forward nature can be found in wines such as the Hin Areni Areni and  Zulal Areni; made with hand-harvested grapes and vinified in stainless steel, showing redolent red cherry and strawberry flavor alongside a complexing note of spice.

Areni can also produce wines with more developed and mature flavors, as evidenced by Yacoubian Hobbs Areni, Voskevaz Karasi Collection Areni, and  Zulal Areni Reserve; made with hand-harvested grapes from select south facing vineyards then matured in a combination of French and Caucasian barrels for 12 months, it shows the more nuanced side of Areni, combining its exuberant fruitiness with a savory, spicy elements and a broader texture.