National wine festival in Armenia (01/10)





History, which has come down to us millennia later, shows that Armenian cuisine is one of the oldest and since time immemorial Armenian wine has been known throughout the world. Armenian grape varieties, depending on climatic conditions, have a high percentage of sugar, therefore, they have a high alcohol content, which contributes to the production of stronger and semi-dessert wines.

In this regard, these wines have no analogues. These are only the natural and climatic conditions of Armenia, thanks to which the grapes here are distinguished by unique qualities. Nature has created all the conditions for obtaining wines. The world collection includes light wines, nutmegs, maderes, and port wines.

Repeatedly, Armenian wines gave odds to the «historical fathers of » wines. Thus, Armenian sherry won the exhibition and sale in Spain, and port wine in Portugal. Since ancient times, Armenia was famous for its winemakers, whose original traditions have survived to this day. You can even learn about this from the works of philosophers such as Herodotus and Strabo.

In 401-400 BC, when Greek troops led by Xenophon « marched » across the country of Nairi (one of the oldest names in Armenia), in Armenian houses they were treated to wine and beer, which was stored in deep dugouts in special crucian carp. Interestingly, reeds were inserted into the crucian carp with beer, which served as straws for our ancestors.

Excavations carried out by Academician Pyatrovsky in the 19th-20th centuries confirmed the fact that back in the 9th century BC Armenia was a developed wine-producing state. Archaeologists discovered a wine storage facility with 480 caras in the Teishebaini fortress, which contained about 37 thousand deciliters of wine. During excavations in Karmir Blur (one of the oldest settlements in Armenia, where the first signs of life were discovered several thousand years ago) and Erebuni (a fortified city in what is now Yerevan, built 2800 years ago and which became the capital of Armenia 2700 years later), 10 wine storage facilities were found, which contained 200 crucian carp.

Also the ancestors of the Armenians —, residents of one of the oldest states in the world — Urarta, were engaged in viticulture. There is evidence in the chronicles that there was a special focus on the development of viticulture and fruit growing. Often historical information that has come down to us mentions the technology of making wine and beer.

Due to the fact that the bulk of the grapes go to the production of the legendary Armenian cognac, Armenian wine is supplied abroad only in small quantities. Therefore, it is not so known to the «non-Armenian» consumer.

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