Our journey through Iran has ended, and after traveling across half of Armenia, we’ve arrived in the renowned village of Areni. I must admit, my initial plans to explore Armenian wines, especially their fruit-based alcoholic beverages, were quite ambitious.
Let’s begin.
As we drove, the driver pointed to a cave on the left and said, “This is where the world’s oldest winery and the oldest shoe were discovered.” The mention of the shoe was intriguing, but my attention was already captured by the word “wine.”
A few hundred meters down the road, we came across rows of stalls lining both sides, overflowing with fruits and wines of every flavor and size — raspberry, blackberry, pomegranate!
“We should probably stop here,” I said, already imagining the taste on my lips.
We pulled over near a roadside factory: Areni Winery. Hoping to sample a few wines, I approached the sellers, but their response was blunt: “We are not a charity organization!” Shocked by the rudeness, I decided to cross this place off my list.
The locals advised us to head deeper into the village to a place called "Areni Country," a factory once owned by the former village chairman, Mikael.
Relaxed and leaning against the wall, Mikael didn’t hesitate when we asked him to show us his property: a recently purchased factory and cellar.
His winemaking journey began in 1994. The village’s pride is the red grape variety Areni, also known as Areni Noir. It grows in almost every villager’s garden, and nearly everyone in the village makes wine. According to the locals, their wines contain no chemicals or additives—just natural grape juice, aged on the pomace, then filtered and bottled in simple plastic containers.
At the start of his journey, Mikael knew little about winemaking. There was no internet, and no libraries nearby to consult. Instead, he went door-to-door, learning from the elders who shared their knowledge and gave advice.
After a few years, Mikael released his first bottles under a brand he calls his “child.” His wines caught the attention of American tasters visiting the region. Impressed, they invited him to participate in an international competition.
