Michael and Andre sit down outside in 33°C heat with geophysicist-turned-wine-educator Diana Khandilyan to explore Armenia — home to the world’s oldest known winery (the Areni-1 cave, dated ~6,100 years). Diana breaks down Armenia’s geography (landlocked between the Caspian and Black Seas, bordering Turkey, Georgia, and Iran), the Soviet-era gap that pushed winemaking underground for 70 years, and how the diaspora is now rebuilding the industry from scratch.
The guys taste three wines built entirely on indigenous grapes:
- An Areni from Oshin — high-altitude, ungrafted vines, aged in native Caucasian oak
- An estate blend from Van Ardi — Areni, Haghtanak, and Milakh grown at ~1,000m
- A rare natural, one-barrel skin-contact wine called Tarerk, made by winemaker Silva Atoyan
Many thanks to our guest Diana Khandilyan whom you can follow here
- Instagram: @glass_nomad (international wine travels)
- Instagram: @pour_across_america (US winery discovery project)
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You can email André at andre@andrewinereview.ca and follow him on Instagram here – @andrewinerview
You can email Michael at michael@michaelpinkuswinereview.com and follow him on Instagram here – @thegrapeguy
