Winemaking in Armenia

I have documented the terroir and vinous assets that Armenia brings to the table as it launches on this journey back-to-the future of fine-wine production. I discuss its traditional and modern winemaking environments in this post.

The winemaking artifacts found at the archaeological site Areni-1 include large jugs which, the team postulated, had been used for wine fermentation and storage. These clay jars are called karas and have been used in Armenia for that purpose for over 6 millenia.

8th Century BC Urartian Wine Pottery

Traditionally, every household had its own winemaking tools: a raised-edge platform for foot-treading grapes; a catchment basin for the capture of the juice; a "ladel" for transferring the juice from the catchment to the karas; and the karas for fermentation and storage. The karas could be "free-standing," partially buried, or fully buried, depending on the winemaker's needs.

The karas was sealed after being filled and its contents remained viable until opening. Once opened, the wine had to be consumed within 15 days so most openings were set around community events and other large gatherings.

The karas culture was dominant until the institutionalization of industrial winemaking in the Soviet era. With the increased production volumes, consumers could buy wine in the supermarket and avoid the arduous task of making their own. This decline in home winemaking led, in turn, to the demise of the karas-making industry. Karases continued to be used in rural areas umtil the 1990s but that was not enough to sustain the Karas-makers and that skill is, to all intents and purposes, extinct in the country.

Today Armenia is home to 400 indigenous grape varieties (researchers speculate that a lot more existed but have been lost to the ravages of time) of which 31 are employed in the production of wine.

Most of the modern wineries hand-harvest their grapes, select in the vineyard and/or cellar, de-stem, cold soak (in some instances) and ferment in stainless steel tanks (mostly). Zorah is an exception here in that they ferment in large, modern, temperature controlled concrete vats. The concrete vats, it is claimed, allows the wine to breathe -- much as is the case for the karas -- enhancing its complexity, elegance, and depth. Plus it is much easier to clean than the karas.

Wines are aged in stainless steel, karas, French oak, and Armenian oak. A discourse on the latter is in order. Zorah also uses large untoasted casks to help in improving the tannins without overpowering the wine's flavor.

Armenian Oak
Armenian oak barrels, which can be as much as 250 years old, impart unique tastes to the wine. The wood for barrel staves is sourced from forests in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenian oak is more intense than French oak due to the comparatively lower humidity in its source forests. It is also darker and less porous. It must be properly handled in order to ensure that tannin levels are controlled.

Oak casks at ArmAs Winery

Given its intensity, Armenian oak requires less time to impart its flavors to wine. It provides intense sweet tones (such as vanilla), spiciness, and a eucalyptus aroma.

Sparkling Wine
Keush produces a methode traditionelle sparkling wine from grapes sourced from ungrafted 60 - 100-year-old vines sited at 1500 - 1800 m in Vayats Dzor province. This, the highest methode ttraditionelle vineyard in the world, is planted to Khatouni, Voskehat, and Areni varieties. The climate is continental and the soils are limestone and volcanic.

The wines on offer are: Origins Brut (60% Voskehat, 40% Khatouni; minimum 22 months on lees); Extra Brut Rosé (100% Areni; minimum 24 months on lees); and Blanc de Blanc Extra Brut (70% Voskehat, 30% Khatouni; 36 months on lees).

Flying Winemakers
A number of internationally renowned winemakers have descended on the region to provide advice and counsel to the fledgling industry. Michel Rolland, for example, is the Consulting Winemaker at Karas, an enterprise focused on making wines from Syrah, Montepulciano, Ancellota, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and (for one of its four labels) Areni and Khndokhni.

Paul Hobbs is a part of a venture -- Yacoubian-Hobbs --which produces two 100% Areni wines and a white blend. All of the wines are fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks except for the Sarpina Areni which is aged for 7 months in French oak.
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Neolithic humans living in the Caucusus manipulated the wild grape Vitis sylvestris to create the wine grape Vitis vinifera, and used it as source material in the systematic production of wine. Archaeological and written records show that Armenia was a major player in these proceedings but faded into the background until its re-emergence as a key brandy producer for the Soviet Union.

The fall of the Soviet Union brought about the demise of the Armenian wine industry but it also provided an opportunity to return to a position where artisanal, high-quality wine was the winemaker's objective; and a number of winemakers have embarked on that journey.


©Wine -- Mise en abyme