The Sacred Land of Wine

   In the midst of widespread self-isolation, I really wanted a quick escape and a nice new bottle of wine. I wanted to purchase something unique, and I realized Whole Foods’ inventory would likely not quench my thirst. Also, Whole Foods lines are currently ridiculous. I decided to check out the variety of wines offered at an Armenian grocery store to hopefully find a bottle that would tie into my cultural identity.

   Armenia has an incredibly rich wine history. In fact, researchers found the world’s oldest winery in Armenia’s Areni-1 cave, which is over 6,100 years old. A friend and Stanford PhD recently worked in the cave as part of her research on the preservation of cultural heritage in the country. The public can visit the cave, which houses clay cylindrical containers for the production of wine.

  Upon Soviet rule of the country, brandy production became a primary focus over wine. However, today’s wine producers are uniting and strategizing in an effort to strengthen the country’s global wine reputation. Why now? For one, Armenians who have financially established themselves in different enterprises around the world are returning to and investing in the country. Furthermore, the last three years have seen the government work to assist winemakers by pushing a marketing approach that refers to Armenia as the “Sacred Land of Wine.” The country has 400 grape varieties, 31 of which are used for winemaking, and five viticultural regions. The country’s winemakers also use Armenian oak, which may be up to 250 years old and is cheaper than imported French oak. Armenian oak is considered more intense than French oak given lower humidity, meaning that less contact time with wine is required. 

   The wines are largely quite affordable. Some photos I have included of different Armenian wines available at the small grocery store I visited show prices ranging from $9.99 to $21.99. Furthermore, they are priced similarly to wines from neighboring countries, such as Georgia, which was covered in our midterm presentations. The most expensive Georgian wine observed at this grocery store was $24.99.

   We have discussed authenticity at length this quarter, and Armenia is a prime example of how authenticity can act as a marketing tool since they have literally backed up their claims of “sacredness” with a historical artifact turned tourist site. I believe this focus will work for the country. According to Vine & Wine Foundation of Armenia, the country’s vineyards have a lot of foreign investment with millions more dollars expected. The country currently produces around 10 million liters (2.6 million gallons) and exports 3 million liters (0.8 million gallons) of wine. Based on the wineries highlighted in the Forbes article linked below, which include winemakers who have gained their skills everywhere from UC Davis to Château Mouton Rothschild, the future looks bright for Armenia’s wine industry. 

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tmullen/2019/11/04/armenian-wines-are-kicking-with-quality/#6f00ff3e70e3