Armenian wine

Armenian wine comes from one of the oldest wine producing regions of the world, with clear evidence of the first production beginning in the 5th millennium BCE.

Red, white and rose wines are produced throughout Armenia, which has seen a transformation in quality and global recognition since the end of the Soviet era, when much Armenian wine was produced by collectives as bulk wine or used for sherry or brandy production.[4] Today many Armenian wines are celebrated for their exceptional quality and unique character.[5][6]

History

The ancient winery found by archaeologists in the Areni cave complex dates back to 4100 BC, and is the oldest wine production site in the world, with grape seeds at the site shown by genetic analyses to be those of the already domesticated Vitis vinifera.[7][8][9]

The written recorded history of Armenian wine can trace its roots back to 401–400 BC, when the Greek armies led by Xenophon passed through Armenian lands and were reportedly treated with wine and beer. These beverages were prepared and stored in "karases" (clay pots). Archaeological excavations carried out by academic Pyatrovski in the 19th and 20th centuries have confirmed that in the 9th century BC, what is modern-day Yerevan was a wine-making centre.

Archaeologists have also found wine storehouses with 480 karases in the Teishebaini fortress located in Yerevan. Each karas can reportedly hold up to 37,000 daL of wine. Excavation works in both the Karmir Blur and Erebuni sites uncovered a total of 10 wine storehouses holding 200 karases. These excavations proved Armenia's ancient wine-making culture. A 3rd to 1st century BCE wine press was discovered near Armenia's old capitals Armavir and Dvin, and another was discovered near the ruins of the fortress of Garni which was used as the summer residence of pagan, as well as Christian Armenian kings.[10]

In Armenia, many holidays, like the water festival Vardavar or the grape blessing festival Khaghoghorhneq[11] have their roots in pagan rituals. According to Christian tradition, Jesus Christ shed his life-giving blood, represented during Christian holidays by wine, for the cleansing of the sins of mankind. That is why on Armenian cross-stones, the cross is carved as the tree of life, also called the blooming cross, symbolizing the grape vine or a pomegranate tree. Grapes and pomegranates are also frequently used to decorate cross stones, and are used as ornaments decorating the walls of churches, symbolizing eternity and rebirth. Carvings on Armenian churches and cross-stones, as well as paintings in manuscripts, show what importance grapes and wine had in medieval Armenian culture. Door frames of churches and the edges of cross-stones often depict embroidered ornaments which look like intertwined grape wines, representing the Garden of Eden.[12]

As part of the Soviet Union, wine production increased nine times between 1940 and 1985, while brandy production increased seventeen times, and from 1960 to 1986, the production of sparkling wines increased 10 times. In the 1980s Armenia annually processed an average of about 210 thousand tons of grapes from which it received 14–15 million decalitres of wine. Two million were used in producing brandy; the remaining part was used for wine making. During the 1980s Armenia provided 25% of brandy made in the entire Soviet Union. Three quarters of released production was exported mainly to Russia. Many people today still utilise the same methods used three millennials ago, processing grapes and receive wine in special premises. Nowadays most factories in Armenia use oak barrels to store wine, however many villages and smaller producers still use the traditional karases. Karases are traditionally made out of Armenian oak, thus giving the karases a pinkish color. Wines from local Armenian grades of grapes adjoining to the surface of the barrels from the Armenian oak, give rise to unique a bouquet. This unique combination is very difficult to the point of being almost impossible to reproduce in any other country of the world.[13]

The fertile valleys of the South Caucasus, which Armenia finds itself in, are believed by many archaeologists to be the source of the world's first cultivated grapevines and neolithic wine production, over 6100 years ago.[14] Armenian wine played an important role in the history of wine, and it has been suggested that the domestication of the Eurasian grape first occurred in the mountainous regions of Armenia before moving to the south.[15] During all this time they never stopped making wine. They were one of the main wine producers in the Soviet Union and have since started exporting their wine worldwide. Armenian wine spread to Africa. During the Armenian genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire during World War I, some Armenians fled to Ethiopia, where they cultivated vineyards. Many Armenian reds are very sweet and rich.[16] During periods of Islamic rule, Armenians were the suppliers of alcoholic beverages, such as wine, to the Muslims, who were not allowed to distill alcohol.

In 2011 archaeologists in Armenia announced the discovery of the world's oldest-known wine production facility. Located in the Areni cave complex, it consists of a shallow basin used to press grapes, a vat for storage, and fermentation jars. They also found grape seeds, remains of pressed grapes, and dozens of dried vines. The seeds were from Vitis vinifera, a grape still used to make wine.[17] The cave remains date to about 4100 BC – 900 years before the earliest comparable wine remains, found in Egyptian tombs.[18][19] Archaeologist Gregory Areshian of UCLA says, "The site gives us a new insight into the earliest phase of horticulture—how they grew the first orchards and vineyards."[20]

Gregory Areshian, co-director of the excavation and assistant director of the University of California Los Angeles's Cotsen Institute of Archaeology stated that "It's the oldest proven case of documented and dedicated wine production, stretching back the horizons of this important development by thousands of years," [21]

Wine-making in Armenia

See also

• Agriculture in Armenia
• Beer in Armenia
• Armenian cuisine

External links

• Armenia's Wine Tourism Network
• Vine and Wine Foundation of Armenia
• History in a Glass: (Re)discovering Armenian Wine