They Make Wine in Armenia?!? (SOMM: Cup of Salvation)

Armenia may be the oldest wine making region in the world, and yet, have you ever had wine from Armenia? There are some good reasons why that may be, and probably most likely because when they were part of the Soviet Union, the government forced them to make fortified wines like brandy, and the winemaking industry was forced to go underground. Over the past few decades, however, winemaking is having a bit of a renaissance, led by people like Vahe and Aimee Keushguerian who literally risk their lives to make wine. Inspired by the documentary Cup of Salvation based on a recommendation from a listener, we set out to find some Armenian wines - and we found them (and so can you!). The story of these wines and the people who make them is fascinating and more than worth learning about. Please join us to start your own journey to find out more about Armenian wine! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2019 Van Ardi Red Blend, Keush Origins Sparkling Wine

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Show Notes

Episode 142: They Make Wine in Armenia?!? (SOMM: Cup of Salvation) 00:00

Hello! And welcome to The Wine Pair Podcast. I’m Joe, your sommelier of reasonably priced wine, and this is my wife and my wine pairing partner in crime, Carmela. And we are The Wine Pair!

If you are new to our podcast, here is a quick orientation! Each week, we explore a different wine varietal or blend — like Pinot Noir or Bordeaux or wines from places you never knew they made wine like Armenia — and dive into what makes it unique, special,and worth learning about. Our goal is to help you expand your wine knowledge in a fun way that normal people can understand. We also taste and review 2-3 wines under $20 each, and share our scores and recommendations to help you find great wines without breaking the bank. So, thank you so much for joining us! And, we are proud to say that Decanter Magazine calls us fun, irreverent, chatty, and entertaining.

First, I am feeling better this week, so I think that is good. I may actually be able to taste the wine this time. Also, I just want to call out that next week is Halloween (do you say Halloween or Holloween) and we are bucking tradition by not doing spooky wines because, frankly, I don’t think anyone really cares. If I’m wrong, let me know and we’ll bring it back next year.

Anyway, Carmela, about a month ago, listener Corinne reached out via email and said we should try wines from Armenia. Now, I’ll be really honest, while I was thrilled that she reached out, and I was really interested in having us do Armenian wines on the podcast, I thought there was no way in hell that I would be able to find Armenian wines. So, I let it sit while we were preparing for our trip to Japan.

But she did say something else that intrigued me - she said we should watch the SOMM TV documentary called Cup of Salvation, and I do like the SOMM documentaries, so I downloaded it along with a bunch of other films just in case I needed something to watch while we were traveling in and around Japan.

So, stay with me here, it just so happens that I watched the film when we took the shinkansen from Tokyo to Osaka - and it was a great movie. And I highly recommend it, so thank you very much, Corinne, for the suggestion.

The movie is about Vahe and Aimee Keushguerian, a father and daughter team, who make wine in Armenia. The story really centers around Vahe, the dad, who is basically a maverick and has one of those personalities that just draws people to him and who can convince people to do things they may never have thought possible.

Well, he convinces his daughter to join him in making wine in Armenia mostly from the native grape Areni, which is much more difficult than it sounds. Without giving too much away, the grapes they use come from vineyards which are right on the Armenian and Azerbaijan border which is very dangerous because it is more or less a war zone - they basically have to harvest the grapes in bullet proof vests.

But more than that, he decides that what he really wants to do is make wine from Iranian grapes, which is not just illegal in Iran, but it is also illegal to purchase grapes from Iran and use them to make wine. So, he decides he should smuggle grapes out of Iran and into Armenia.

Again, I don’t want to ruin the movie, but by the end of the film, he is having sommeliers in the United States, and even a winemaker with an Iranian background in California, try his wine made from smuggled Iranian grapes.

The movie is super emotional and engaging, and after watching it I was bound and determined to do an episode on Armenian wines, and I thought our series focus on wines made in areas that are surprising, called our “They Make Wines in ____?” series, was the perfect vehicle. So, I started looking for the wines, and to my surprise we found some, and so here we are!

So, Corinne, all I’m going to say is good job - you convinced me via a very clever means, and I am super excited about it.

So, today, we have two wines from Armenia that I was actually able to find on wine.com. They are a little over our $20 price range, but just barely, and as we have said we are going to have be comfortable going over that price point - and one of the wines is from Vahe and Aimee Keushguerian - a sparkling wine made in Armenia which comes from their Keush label - which is the first 5 letters of their last name, and also a red wine blend that is based on the Areni grape and so I am super excited to try these and learn a bit more about Armenia wine . .

But first . . . we have to do our shameless plug.

Thank you for listening to us and for supporting our show, and if you haven’t had the chance to do so yet, now would be the perfect time to follow or subscribe to our podcast - it is a free way to support us, and then you never have to miss a show! - and a huge thank you to all of you who have subscribed already!

And, another great way to support is to leave a nice rating and review on our website or on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or other podcast app so we can continue to grow our listeners.

You can also follow us and see pictures of the wines we are tasting and trying today and weird AI pictures I like to make on Instagram at thewinepairpodcast, and you can contact us on our website thewinepairpodcast.com, and you can sign up for our email newsletter there and get news and food and wine pairing ideas and more! And our new newsletter will be coming out on November 1.

And we want to make content you care about and you like, so like Corinne did, send us a note and tell us stuff you want us to do, like if there are wines you want us to try or wine making areas of the world you are curious about - and we’ll take care of it!

And, as we do every week, we’ll tell you someone we think you should recommend The Wine Pair Podcast to - because the best way for us to grow listeners is when you tell your family and friends about us - your endorsement by word of mouth is just so valuable. This week, we want you to recommend us to anyone who is of Armenian descent because I think they will really appreciate this episode

ARTICLES and LINKS

Topic: WTF is Armenian wine?!? 09:18

Now, other than what I learned by watching the movie Cup of Salvation, I really had zero knowledge about Armenian wine until I put together the show notes for this episode (did you know we have show notes?), so, Carmela, we are all - you, me, and our listeners - going to do some learning about Armenian wine!

As I said in the intro, Armenia is actually a very ancient wine making region, and the oldest winery in the world, called Areni-1 was found in Armenia’s Areni wine region. This winery dates back to 4100 BC, so it is like 6000 years old! For much of its history, Armenia was famous for making wines that different cultures, like the Greeks, were known to drink.

If you are not familiar with Armenia, and, again, I was not, it is located in a really interesting area. It borders Turkey, to the west, Azerbaijan to the east, Georgia to the north, and Iran to the south. It is a landlocked country, and it is considered European from a geopolitical standpoint, but is also considered part of the Middle East. Located in the South Caucasus, and formerly part of the Soviet Union, it is a country that is hard to define, that shares traditions from lots of different cultures, and that has been in the middle of a lot of turmoil throughout its existence.

While Armenia had a very long tradition of making wine, when it was part of the Soviet Union, the government forced them to focus on the production of fortified wine products like sherry and brandy. In fact, Armenia produced a quarter of all brandy for the Soviet Union in the 1980s. So, for 70 years, the Soviet Union really messed with the traditions of wine making in Armenia, and so a lot of traditional vineyards and wine making either went underground or were lost during that time frame.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s, the people of Armenia had the opportunity to go back to their traditions like wineamaking, and slowly but surely, they are rebuilding the industry. In many ways, Armenian wine is considered both ancient and modern, combining ancient winemaking techniques with more modern ones.

Over the past several decades, Armenian winemakers have been partnering with “flying winemakers” which we talked about a few episodes ago. These are winemakers who will work with vintners from all over the world, and one of the most influential in Armenia has been Paul Hobbs.

There are five winemaking regions in Armenia: Vayots Dzor, Aragatsotn, Armavir, Ararat, and Tavush, each of which has similarities, like volcanic or limestone soils, but also, as would be expected, unique terroir - which again is the fancy way of saying “place” or “where it is from.” The first one I mentioned, Vayots Dzor, is the one we will focus on the most because, for one, there is too much to go into, and for the second, it is the area where Vahe Keushguerian focuses his winemaking, and it is well known for its Areni-based wines.

While there are over 400 native grape varieties in Armenia, many of which are not found anywhere else in the world, today they really only use about 20, and they mainly focus on about 5 wine grapes that dominate most of the wine making, and again, Areni is really the hero grape. There is a lot more information in our show notes, by the way, if any of you want to dig deeper.

Evidently Areni is sometimes compared to a bigger-bodied Pinot Noir or, alternatively, a thinner-bodied Grenache, and it is made into red wines, obviously, but also sparkling wines, which, again, is how Pinot Noir is used as well. The other grape that is used frequently and also grows in the Vayots Dzor area is a white wine grape called Voskechat. The area of Vayots Dzor is supposed to be a cooler climate and higher elevation area.

When I mentioned this blend of ancient and modern winemaking techniques, some of the things they do in Armenia are very traditional - like focusing on native grapes like Areni, or aging wine in terracotta jars or amphorae called karasi, and the method of fermenting and aging wines in these vessels is called the Karas method. Others have brought in more modern things like oak barrels for aging, and there is a focus among many vinters on sustainability and drip irrigation, which can be a very frugal way to do things in a country that is pretty poor like Armenia.

I could go on and on, but I think it’s time to learn a little more about the specific wines we are drinking today.

ARTICLES and LINKS

Armenian Wines We Chose for This Episode 14:58

As I mentioned earlier, usually the wines we purchase for our episodes are under $20, but from time to time, as in this case, we have to go a little over that number in order to find wines to try, and we are really close, with both of the wines under $25. I also bought them on wine.com, so while Armenian wine may not be super easy to find, it is nice to know that you can find these wines at national distributors like wine.com, and my bet is that if you visited your local wine shop, you could ask them to find you some Armenia wines.

The first wine we are going to drink is the 2019 Van Ardi Red Blend, and, as you might guess, this is a blend - made from 40% Areni, 35% Haghtanak, 25% Milagh. Now, I would have looked for a pure Areni wine but for one, they were pretty expensive, and for two, it seemed like this wine was actually relatively easy to find, so for the sake of our listeners who may be interested in Armenian wine, I thought I would focus on a wine you could maybe find and didn’t have to spend a bunch of money on to see if it was worth seeking out.

There was a tech sheet for this wine, and it looks like there is a distributor in the US called Storica wine that does a lot of the Armenian distribution here. Van Ardi is a boutique winery in Armenia that started in 2008, so still pretty darn new, and focuses using traditional Armenian grapes, but combines that with modern winemaking by focusing on making organic wines, and they have organic certification. To make this wine, they ferment the juice in tanks, and then age 40% of the wine in French and Caucasian two year old barrels for six months. So, older barrels and Caucausian oak is said to be similar to French oak which is a lighter oak, and only 40% of the wine being put on oak will mean it should not be overly oaky. Interestingly enough, they create each of the wines in the blend separately, and then combine them about three months before bottling them.

The second wine we are going to drink is the Keush Origins NV Sparkling wine, and this is a brut sparkling, which is just the way we like it, meaning it is dry or low in residual sugar, and this wine is made in traditional or Champagne style of sparkling.

As we mentioned earlier, this wine is from Vahe Keushgarian who was born in Syria, raised in Beirut, immigrated to Italy where he learned the wine business, and then moved to Armenia where he started his Keush winery in 2013.

The grapes used in the sparkling wine are sustainably farmed by farmers who have been growing grapes and making wines in the area for generations, with these vines being anywhere from 60 to more than 120 years old, and this particular group of farmers used the grapes they grew for raisin production while Armenia was part of the Soviet Union. These vineyards are also said to be among the highest in elevation in the northern hemisphere at 1800 meters or nearly 6,000 feet above sea level, and they harvest the grapes by hand.

The two grapes used in the wine are Voskehat at 60% and Khatouni at 40%. The grapes are fermented together in stainless steel and are aged on the lees - which again is the funk left over during the fermentation process - for at least 22 months.

Now, you know that we love sparkling wine, so I couldn’t help myself when choosing an Armenian wine. Afterall, not only is the wine made by the guy in the documentary, but it is sparkling, too. I basically had no choice!

But, I think that is enough information - let’s get to drinking! We’ll take a quick break and be right back. And, if you happen to have an Armenian wine with you today, please drink along with us for quadruple participation points!

ARTICLES and LINKS

2019 Van Ardi Red Blend, Keush Origins Sparkling Wine Tasting, Pairing, and Review 21:48

Wine: Van Ardi Red Blend (Click here to find this wine on wine.com. We may be compensated if you purchase.)
Region: Armenia
Year: 2019
Price: $21.99
Retailer: wine.com
Alcohol: 13.5%
Grapes: 40% Areni, 35% Haghtanak, 25% Milagh
Professional Rating:

What we tasted and smelled in this Van Ardi Red Blend:

Color: Dark but not inky, ruby on the edges
On the nose: Tart cherry, tobacco, spicy, plum, some richness, stewed cherry, cherry pie filling, cinnamon, clay or earth on the swirl
In the mouth: Tart, kind of a one note wine, paprika and baking spices like clove and nutmeg, touch of ginger, fine for a crowd, summer wine?

Food to pair with this Van Ardi Red Blend: Cookout wine, barbecue, burgers, grilled chicken, french fries, tater tots, pizza, baked potato

As a reminder on our rating scale, we rate on a scale of 1-10, with no half points, where 7 and above means that we would buy it, and 4 and below means that we are likely to pour it down the sink, and a 5 or 6 means we are likely to drink it and finish it, but we are probably not going to buy it.

Van Ardi Red Blend Wine Rating:

Joe: 6/10
Carmela: 6/10

Wine: Keush Origins Sparkling Wine (Click here to find this wine on wine.com. We may be compensated if you purchase.)
Region: Armenia, Vayots Dzor
Year: NV
Price: $23.99
Retailer: wine.com
Alcohol: 12%
Grapes: 60% VOSKEHAT, 40% KHATOUNI
Professional Rating: WE 90

What we tasted and smelled in this Keush Origins Sparkling Wine:

Color: Lots of bubbles, poured nicely, very pretty, Champagne color
On the nose: Brioche, sparkling cider, sweet edge, honeydew melon, pineapple, citrus, tropical fruit
In the mouth: At first tasted astringent and lacked smoothness, vanilla or almond extract, bitter, a bit of band-aid, citrus, orange pith, grapefruit, as it warms in the glass it gets better tasting

Food to pair with this Keush Origins Sparkling Wine: Spicy foods, fried and salty foods, fried chicken, charcuterie with stinky cheese

Keush Origins Sparkling Wine Wine Rating:

Joe: 7/10
Carmela: 6/10

Which one of these are you finishing tonight?

Carmela: Keush Origins Sparkling Wine
Joe: Keush Origins Sparkling Wine

Taste profiles expected from the Armenian Wines We Chose 36:51

General
- Not going to do a general wine taste profile because the varieties are so different
Van Ardi Red Blend
- Winery: It is saturated with aromas of dark cherries, blueberries, plum, harmoniously transitioning to hints of warm spices and dark chocolate.
- International Wine of the Month Club: opens with an entrancing bouquet redolent with the scents of baked blackberry and plum dusted with cacao. In the mouth, smooth rich berry flavors sprinkled with chocolate ganache and deft touches of cedar, sandalwood and vanilla flow on a river of ripe, racy tannins to gratify the palate. Pleasantly dry, seamless, and hauntingly complex
Keush Origins Sparkling Wine
- Winery: Invigorating and fresh, the palate resonates with citrus and apple flavors. Finish is fresh apple flavors alongside a lingering note of toasted almond.
- WE: Pale straw in the glass, this wine features a persistent column of tiny bubbles. It has aromas of white peach and lemon curd and flavors of Granny Smith apple, Sevilla orange, nectarine, nutmeg and roasted fennel bulb. It is creamy on the palate and offers a surprisingly spicy finish.

Outro and how to find The Wine Pair Podcast 41:17

Ok, so, Carmela, it’s time for us to go, but before we do, we want to thank you very much for listening to us - and if you haven’t done so yet, now would be the perfect time to follow or subscribe to our podcast and also a fantastic time to leave us a nice rating and review on our website or Apple podcasts or other podcast app - and it is an awesome and free way to support us and help us grow listeners.

We would also love to hear from you about a wine you would like us to taste and review. You can leave a message for us on our website thewinepairpodcast.com and you can join our email newsletter there - and if you missed our latest newsletter, email me and I will send it to you. You can do that by reaching out at joe@thewinepairpodcast.com. And tell us some things you want to hear us do, or not hear us do!

Alright, with that, we are going to sign off, so thanks again, and we will see you next time. And, as we say, life is short, so stop drinking shitty wine.

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