In May, I attended one of my first in-person wine tastings (with fully-vaccinated attendees) in months.  It was an American Wine Society tasting of wines from Armenia, a country I had never tasted wines from before, from indigenous grapes, all but one I had never tasted before. We tried a white, a rosé, and two red wines.

The wines were from Van Ardi Winery, a winery founded by Varuzhan Mouradian, an accountant, who, in 2007, moved his family from California to Armenia, the country of his ancestors. In 2008, he bought a winery 40 miles north of Yerevan, in the Ashtarak region of Armenia, in the shadow of Mount Ararat. The vineyards are situated on southern-facing slopers. The soil is rocky and volcanic, with rolling hills. Wine grapes have been grown in this region for several millennia, and a winery used to make wines used in religious ceremonies was found in a cave dating over 6,100 years old (Areni-1 Cave). “Van Ardi” means “son of Van.”

The white wine was a 2016 bottling composed of 70% Kangun and 30% Rkatsiteli. (I have tasted Rkatsiteli before; Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery in the Finger Lakes makes a Rkatsiteli wine, a grape largely planted in former Soviet Union countries.) The wine was straw-colored in the glass, with tropical notes on the nose (pineapple) and stone fruit (apricot). On the mouth, the flavor didn’t really deliver on the flavors in the bouquet, sadly. It was indistinct as a commercial pinot grigio. However, paired with food (melon and prosciutto), it improved, due to nice acidity. 12.5% ABV.

The rosé was a 2016 bottling composed of 50% Areni and 50% Kakhet grapes. The rosé had a noticeable barnyard funk on it, which is not an aroma I usually equate with rosé. (Rose is usually red berries). This wine smelled a bit like brie cheese, but I don’t think it had brettanomyces; I think it may have been passed its prime as a rosé (they are usually drunk young). Unlike the white, the rosé had a full mouth-feel, but was slightly unbalanced, in that it seemed a bit hot (high alcohol) to me. However, several people really enjoyed it. I would call it a red wine drinker’s rosé. 12.5% ABV.

The first red was a 2018 red blend, made of 40% Areni, 30% Kakhet, and 30% Haghtanak. The aroma was spicy/peppery. On the palate, ripe red fruit gave way to coffee and chocolate flavors. it was a little unbalanced, showing a little too hot (high alcohol). Aged six months in French and Armenian oak barrels. 13.5% ABV.

The second red was a 2016 reserve wine made of 100% Areni grape. Areni, sometimes called Areni Noir, could be best described as a cross between Merlot and Pinot Noir. Both grapes are very versatile, and can be either elegant and feminine (Burgundy) to robust and masculine (California), depending on where the grapes are grown and what the winemakers do with them. The Areni reserve was aged 14 months in French and Armenian oak. A lot of oak was on the nose, giving the wine a very cedar box, resin-y aroma. On the palate, ripe fruit gave way to dark red cherries and tobacco. The wine was well-balanced, with a long finish. 13.5% ABV.

The white and rosé were about $12 each, the red blend was $14, and the Areni reserve was $30. You can find Van Ardi wines, and other Armenian wines, online at cedarwines.com. I look forward to trying more Armenian wines from this ancient wine region. Kenadz!