"They say people don’t come back from two places - from the afterworld and from the U.S.," says winemaker Varouzhan Mouradyan. He returned to Armenia after living in the U.S. for twenty years. He left with his wife in 1991, and their four children were born in the United States.
Gor tells me that wine is a living organism that demands constant attention. “If you neglect it, the wine gets angry and sick”.
After pouring the wine, Grigory gently swirls it in his glass, smells it, and only then drinks it. "It's good," he says with satisfaction.
Maran, a winery founded in 1991 but which dates back to the 1800s, produced the first wine in the Republic of Armenia after the country gained independence and recently received a bronze medal in the 2014 Decanter World Wine Awards for its Bagratuni dry red wine. Hetq paid a visit to Maran's premises and had a chance to speak with the founder and director Avag Harutyunyan.
"My purpose is to be able to get to a level where the variety that's indigenous to Armenia will get the highest grade by international standards, and winemaking in Armenia will be able to secure its place on the map".
Worldwide wine consumption is growing 10-15% annually. Reports of the potential health benefits of red wine have helped. This opens the door to marketing Armenian wines to a world audience.
“We drink vodka due to a lack of state policy. We aren't a nation of wine drinkers,” argues Haroutyunyan. He blames wine growers for lagging in terms of advertising Armenian wines both locally and internationally.
An interview with Marcelo Wende, Managing Director of “Armenia” International Airports” CJSC
The company “Tierras de Armenia” was founded by Argentinean-Armenian Eduardo Eurnekian.