Armenia — wine

Areni

Armenia's premier wine region in the Vayots Dzor province, producing wines from the ancient Areni Noir variety at 1,200–1,500m altitude; the world's oldest winery (6,100 years, discovered 2011) was found in the Areni cave system.

Year Rating Notes
2021 Outstanding Armenian vintage; Areni Noir of extraordinary freshness, mineral depth and Pinot-like elegance.
2020 Good quality; wines show the high-altitude's characteristic freshness and the grape's ancient character.
2019 Consistent vintage; reliable, expressive wines from one of the world's oldest wine regions.
2018 Benchmark Areni year; Zorah Karasi confirmed Armenia's claim to world fine wine attention.
2017 Good season; Areni Noir shows its characteristic dried cherry, herb and mineral precision.